#also i need the other scenes on the beach that they shot like i need oxygen

[etoilesdeglace]

"You're it for me Belly"

[halforcdad]

saw both top gun movies this weekend and i have to say the kacy au writes itself

[lachesismoonmist]

JK Drabbles - One Shots #1 - Welcome Home

Here's a collection of One-Shot stories involving JK. JK as husband, JK as boyfriend, JK as lover.

Some of them are scenes I wrote which didn't make it into my eventual stories, but were such fun to write I wanted to share them.

Each story is saved as an individual chapter.

Enjoy!

Rating: Mature

Pairing: Jeon Jungkook / Reader

Also posted on AO3

Masterlist for JK Drabbles - One Shots

#1 - Welcome Home #2 - Be My Slave #3 - Wait #4 - Days Without Incident

-------------------

Chapter 1: Welcome Home - JK as husband

It’s 3am.  Once leaving the hustle and bustle of the airport, everything is quiet.  The streets are deserted.  Jungkook had gone away for work. Three whole weeks.  He misses you like crazy.  It is coming up to your first wedding anniversary.  He’s planned an entire weekend away at the coast.  The beach there is beautiful.  He managed to book one of the quaint, little cottages dotting the hills just above the beach.  The views from the cottage windows are awesome, offering views of the sunset.  He isn’t sure how much time you’d spend admiring the view though. His plan is to spend a lot of time in bed. You under him. You on top of him. You pressed against a wall.  You bent over sofa.  Or whatever other surface in the house he can fuck you on.  And he plans to fuck you on Every. Single. One.

He is supposed to have flown home the next evening, but he managed to get a seat on an earlier red-eye flight.  He couldn’t bear to spend another day and night without you. The house is dark as he quietly puts his luggage and bags on the floor near the entrance to the apartment.  He shrugs off his jacket, draping it on the sofa. He doesn’t need to turn on any lights as the full moon is shining in from the full-length windows in the living room.  He steps quietly through the house to the bedroom door.

He stands there in the doorway for a while after quietly turning the doorknob and easing the door open.  You are sleeping soundly.  You’ve rolled over onto your right, facing the window. The moonlight is streaming in, bathing you in an ethereal glow. 

Your quilt is a messy lump near your feet.  You move a lot in your sleep.  He admires the long lines of your legs, then his breath hitches. Your nightie has run up.  He can see the lower half of the perfect globes of your ass.  They look so fuckable.  His blood is now rushing to his cock. 

But he restrains himself from pouncing on you and devouring you.  He takes a shower to wash off the dirt from his travels.  He wants to make sure he smells all nice and fresh for you. He doesn’t worry about you waking up when the water is running.  You sleep like the dead.

He towels dry his hair as best as he can.  He lies down on the bed behind you, his chest to your back.  He pushes his nose into your hair at your neck, inhaling deeply. He’s missed you so much.  His arms feel so empty at night without you to hold as he drifts off to sleep.  His cock missed being buried in your warm, wet pussy.

Warm, wet pussy is within reach now. His cock is rock hard.  He ghosts his hand down your arm, over your hip.  He pulls the nightie up, exposing your whole ass.

He reaches down to grab one butt cheek, slowly squeezing.  He rubs his cock against your ass.  He presses kisses to your back.  He pulls your hair to one side, exposing your shoulder and neck.  He presses his lips to your skin. Behind your ear. Down the graceful column of your neck. Along your shoulder.  He slowly pushes the strap of your nightie off your shoulder, his lips following the path of his fingers.

He's now exposed one breast.  He covers it with his big hand and squeezes.  Your breasts are the perfect size.  Full and round. Big enough to fill his big hands.  Succulent rosy pink nipples.  He rubs his palm on you, feeling your nipples start to harden.  His cock is throbbing now, the tip leaking precum. 

You start to stir. “Mmmmm…..” you mumble.  He continues squeezing your breast.  He kisses his way back up your neck and gently bites your earlobe.

“What are you doing home, Kook?  Thought you’re flying home tomorrow,” you mumble sleepily.

“I couldn’t wait to see you.  Managed to get on an earlier fight.” He continues kissing your neck, sucking and nipping the skin gently, leaving little red marks. He loves leaving his marks on your skin.

“Miss you so much, baby. Did you miss me?” he says in a low voice.  You nod.

He pinches your nipple before rolling it with his fingers.  “Aah,”  you huff out.  He reaches over and gropes your other breast through your nightie.  Thumb running over the nipple.  He scrapes that spot at the juncture of your shoulder and neck with his teeth.  “Aah!” you cry out, your body bucking.  He smiles against your skin. He knows that’s your most sensitive spot.  He knows he can make you scream by biting down on it as you come.

Hi hand moves back down your body, pulling your nightie up some more.  He exposes the smooth v between your legs.  He touches your hip, trailing over the curve of it, his fingers moving slowly to where you need him the most.

He pushes his long fingers in between your thighs, sliding up and down your slit.   His palm rubbing against your mound.  “You want me to touch you, Baby?  Does your pussy need to be touched?” he says in a low voice in your ear.

“Yes, yes, Kook. Touch me,” you gasp. You roll towards him slightly.  You lift one knee up, opening yourself up to him.

He slips and slides a few more times, then slips a finger into your core.  The sound you make can only be described as obscene.

“Hmm… so wet baby,” he says approvingly. He pumps his long finger into you.  He continues pressing wet, open kisses on your neck and shoulders.  He snakes his other arm under your body, pulling your body flush against his, your back to his front. He holds you in place, his arm pressing down on your clavicle.  His hard cock rubs against your ass.

He adds another finger to stroke your walls.  Your hips start rolling. He presses his thumb on your needy clit, rubbing in time with his strokes. 

The tattooed arm around your chest is like a band of steel. His tattooed hand moves to cup a breast. Squeezing, rubbing, kneading, pinching, rolling.  Your arch your back, moaning sweetly.  “That’s it Baby,” he eggs you on.  “Let me hear you,”

His fingers sliding  in and out of your pussy are relentless. He knows just how hard to press, how fast to stroke.  You start to tense up, your whines becoming more needy, your breath coming out in pants.   Your body arches more, but he imprisons you with his strong arm.

“Gonna cum, goonna….  Kook!”  He scrapes hit teeth against that sensitive spot on your neck again as you cry out.   The wet evidence of how good he made you feel coating his fingers and palm.  Your body is shuddering through the aftershocks of your orgasm, but your husband is not letting you go so easily.

“Come on, Baby, give me one more.  Let me hear you make those pretty sounds again.”

He doesn’t let up. Doesn’t slow down. He continues to fuck his fingers into you and rub your swollen clit. You whine, clit still throbbing from your first orgasm. He continues pinching your nipple. Tugging it. Rolling it.  He pumps his fingers faster.   He knows you are close. He bites the soft flesh at your shoulder. 

“Kooook!  Oh my god, Koook!” you cry out, your body arching.

“That’s it, Baby, soak my fingers with your juices. See how your greedy pussy is sucking in my fingers.”  He removes his fingers from your hole, sliding them up to your throbbing clit, caressing it slowly.

“Too much, too much,” you whine as you try to move away, to give your body time to recover. But his grip on you doesn’t allow you to move.   You try to twist your body, but his tattooed arm is like a vise. His fingers slow down. The pressure eases up.  You slowly come down from your high, body shuddering.

He puts his fingers into his mouth.  “Hmm, tasty.” He sucks his fingers, licking your juices off his digits.

You reach behind you to grip his hard, leaking cock. You use your thumb to spread the pre-cum on his tip. Your finger dips into the slit, rubbing.  You grip his girth and give it a few gentle pumps. 

The first time you’d seen his cock, your eyes looked like saucers, your mouth open.   “So big” you’d said admiringly.  The skin was velvety smooth.  You’d wrapped on hand around it, barely able to grip all the way around.  The first time you’d taken him in your mouth, you’d gagged as you tried to take all of him in.  But you pushed on till your lips touched the base of his cock.  He’d almost blown his load at the sight of your pink lips around his cock. You looking up at him through your lashes, your eyes big and shiny. 

“Want your cock, Kook.  Haven’t had your cock in three weeks.  Want you to fill me up,” you say breathily.  The few times you had phone sex while he was away were good, but there was nothing like the real thing.  Nothing like feeling his big, fat cock fill you up. His body pressed against yours.  Two bodies and hearts intertwined.

He rolls you over so that he’s on top.  His hips settle between yours.  “Want me stuff this pussy full of cock?  Hmm?” He rubs his shaft against your wet slit, nudging your clit with the tip. He rips your nightie off all the way.  You nod vigorously.

“Look at you, so beautiful. I missed having you under me.” He uses one had to push your legs open wider. “Not going to be able to hold back, Baby.”  He reaches down to position the tip of his cock at your entrance.

You look him in the eye.  “Don’t hold back, Kook.”

So he doesn’t. Jungkook lets out an animalistic growl and drives forward, making you cry out.   He buries himself balls deep in one smooth stroke.  Pull out to the tip, slide in till his hips grinds against yours. Pull out, slide in. Pull out, slide in.  Every stroke makes you shudder in pleasure.  His hips slap against yours as he fucks into you. Hard.   He bends down to take a nipple into his mouth, making you arch your back as you keen.

He’s so close. It’s been weeks.  Nothing feels like being buried inside you.   Nothing comes close to the bliss when he feels your walls wrapped around his cock. The way your breasts bounce when he bottoms out, grinding his pelvic bone against you, stimulating your clit.

You cry out his name as you tumble over.  The way his name rolls of your lips in a fervent cry makes him peak too.  “Y/N!  Fuck!”  He continues to pump into you, slowing down as you both catch your breath. He rolls you onto your sides.

“I love you, Kook,” you whisper, looking into his eyes, pushing his soft hair off his face.

“I love you, wifey.  That is the best ‘welcome home’ a man can get,” he says, grinning.

You smile evilly.  You push on him to roll him over, with you on top.  His cock is hard again.  You get up, kneeling over him. You line yourself up with him then sink down on his cock without warning. He hisses as he feels your warm walls envelope him again. 

“Let me welcome you home again, hubby.”

[perseephoneee]

secret santa [ficmas day 12] [stiles stilinski x afab!reader]

↳ masterlist ↳ ship exchange ↳ taglist ↳ ficmas 2024

@mayfieldss: Since you're extending ficmas may I request stiles stilinski and secret santa plssssss

author's note: my boyfriend said that if teen wolf had modern slang it would be one of the worst things he'd ever watch

playlist:

buy me presents -- sabrina carpenter

christmas caller -- beach bunny

santa, can't you hear me -- kelly clarkson & ariana grande

"Why did Lydia think this was a good idea?" Stiles groaned, opening the 'Secret Santa email.' Scott was sitting on his bed doing homework while Stiles debated the merits of ignoring the email. 

"Because she says this is cheaper than us all having to get gifts for each other."

Stiles ignored that comment and opened the email to receive his assignment. He could think of a few different ideas for the various people in his life. Scott was easy; they were best friends. Isaac could get an embroidered scarf that said, 'I'm bitter for no reason.' Derek could get a new personality, although Stiles didn't know how much that would cost. 

He watched the wheel spin on the automated Secret Santa email, and against his best wishes, he got your name. 

"No, no, no," Stiles kept trying to refresh the page, hoping for a different answer. Scott looked up in personality, getting off the bed to see his screen. He started laughing when he saw your name. 

"You're screwed."

"This is awful!" Stiles spun around in his chair. "I can't get the girl I like a gift; she's going to hate it."

"Probably."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're not helpful?" Stiles looked at Scott, raising his brow. Scott patted him on the shoulder. Stiles hit his shoulder, and it quickly devolved into a wrestling match with Stiles in a headlock and Scott getting kicked in the face. Sheriff Stilinski entered a second later. He took one look at the scene and left a second later. 

After Stiles lost in wrestling, they ended up at the mall. They agreed that it was the most likely place to find a gift. Scott had to shop for Isaac, which Stiles was weirdly envying at this moment. 

"Okay, we're going to split up. Meet in an hour at the food court."

"For food?"

"Yes," Stiles sighed. "And to check progress."

"But also for food?" Scott questioned. "I've been craving a corndog."

"Scott, I need you to lock in," Stiles groaned. He had been staring out at the bright expanse of the mall and was already developing a migraine. "We have a mission."

"You have a mission," Scott nudged Stiles with his shoulder. "I'm doing fine."

"I really hate you," Stiles muttered as Scott took off towards whatever he smelled. Likely a pretzel. He was strangely food-motivated. 

Stiles checked out Bath and Body Works first, but after feeling like he would pass out from the smells, he elected to leave. He wandered into a Brandy Melville and got offended by the sizing (or lack thereof). He then sat on a bench outside the darkest clothing store he'd ever seen. Just as Stiles wished for divine intervention, Lydia came into sight. She beelined over to him immediately. 

"Do I want to know why you're here?" she asked, arms crossed. Stiles squinted up at her.

"Because of your stupid Secret Santa and my stupid assignment," Stiles said, sinking further into his bench. Lydia sat down next to him. 

"You got Y/N, didn't you?"

"How–"

"I know things," Lydia pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Stiles glared at her. She crossed her legs, looking over at Stiles. "I'm going to help you because you make me sad."

"Thanks."

"What have you thought of so far?"

Stiles pondered for a second.

"A sexy candle."

"Okay, I'm going to say no to that immediately," Lydia opened her purse, grabbed out a lipgloss, and reapplied it. Stiles had no idea why she needed to reapply it. "Let's go look around at a few places."

Stiles wished for Scott in that moment. Scott didn't stress him out to no end. Lydia dragged him to eleven different stores and shot down almost all of his ideas. He was ready to quit, move to a different state, and change his name in order to avoid disappointing you at Secret Santa. You were too important to him to disappoint. Right as Stiles' legs started hurting, he saw one store that gave him pause. 

"I'm going in there," Stiles announced, ignoring Lydia's protests. It was a traditional gift store with various accessories, gag gifts, home decor, and more. He avoided the seasonal aisle and the stupid kitchen towels with quotes on them to make a beeline for the kids' section, specifically the stuffed animal section. 

He saw a floppy Snoopy and pulled it off the top shelf. Stiles showed Lydia. 

"What do you think?" Stiles asked. He was out of breath from his quick run into the store. "She loves Snoopy; she mentions it whenever there's a Snoopy thing."

Lydia smiled, taking the Snoopy from him. She gave it a few squishes for good measure. 

"It's perfect; nice job, Stiles."

"Thank you," Stiles beamed. He tossed the Snoopy back and forth between his hands. "Who did you get for Secret Santa?"

"Derek."

"Just get him a new personality."

"I hope you know that both you and Y/N said that," Lydia rolled her eyes. Stiles grinned, moving to the cash register to buy his Snoopy. He paid a little extra to get it wrapped (he can't wrap it for his life) and skipped out of the store. Stiles pulled out his phone to check the time, guessing he should probably be catching back up with Scott. He, of course, ran into you at that exact moment. 

Literally ran into it. 

"Hey, Stiles," you laughed, catching him by the shoulders. His cheeks burned red as he saw who it was. 

"Hey!" he grimaced. "What are you doing here?"

"Probably the same as you, Secret Santa shopping," you shrugged. He liked whatever you did with your hair today. However, Stiles has always loved whatever you did. You eyed the bag in his hand. "Did you get something already?"

"Yeah…I had help from Lydia," Stiles scratched the back of his neck. 

"I'll see you around, Stilinski," you punched his shoulder, running off to who knows where. Stiles was still frozen in place a second later. He shook himself out of his stupor, immediately running to the food court to look for Scott. 

~

Scott and Stiles showed up in matching ugly Christmas sweaters to Lydia's Secret Santa party. They were very proud that they found not one but two of them at Goodwill and felt it was a theme to show up in. Lydia was not amused. 

She almost refused to let them in. 

Stiles was excited to see that you were already there. You had on sparkly tights and a sweater dress, and Stiles was once again struck by the thought that you were the prettiest girl in the room. He suddenly felt very stupid in his sweater. You took notice as he approached. 

"Oh, that's hilarious," you laughed, reading his top. It had all the reindeer decorating the tree on top of each other, saying 'Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, on top of Vixen.'

"That's what I thought. Lydia disagrees," Stiles sat down next to you. You curled up your legs underneath you. 

"Lydia is stressed about the party."

"She throws the best parties; why is she stressed?" Stiles saw a platter of cookies out on the coffee table and took one for himself. He offered you half. 

"Probably because you have to constantly be stressed to throw the best parties." You accepted half of his cookie.

"Touche."

Stiles was gleeful that he could talk to you until the present reveals started. Everyone else showed up, and at forty-five minutes past the hour, Lydia called everyone to attention to exchange gifts. Suddenly, Stiles felt very nervous. 

It was easy for him to get caught up in everyone else's excitement and forget about his own doom, so when he received his gift (some nice plaid shirts from Allison), he got all clammy as he handed you yours. Your eyes lit up as you saw the bag. 

"I knew it was for me," you whispered, recognizing the bag from the mall. Stiles shrugged, wringing his hands. You unwrapped it carefully and then let out a squeal of delight as you saw the Snoopy. Stiles let out a sigh of relief. 

"I know you love Snoopy."

"Not just any Snoopy, Joe Cool Snoopy," you grinned, hugging the plush to your chest. "He's really cool."

"That's why they call him Joe Cool," Stiles answered. Lydia gave him a subtle nod from the other side of the room. Everyone else got to open their gifts, which is when Lydia brought out the champagne she stole from her Mom's stash. Very quickly, everyone got a pleasant buzz that only made the conversation louder. You nudged Stiles and gestured towards the kitchen, Snoopy still in hand. He followed after you. 

You launched yourself at him as soon as you got in the kitchen. 

"The gift is perfect," you mumbled, voice blocked by his shirt. Stiles thought you smelled like peppermint. You pulled away to look at him. "Thank you."

"A-Anything for you," Stiles stuttered, struck by how close you guys were. You didn't seem to notice or mind. 

"I have a gift for you."

"You didn't get me in Secret Santa," Stiles asked, confused. You just shook your head. 

"A gift of my own volition."

You leaned up and kissed him, lips still tasting of champagne. Stiles could do nothing but melt into you. He was dumbstruck when you parted. 

"Merry Christmas, Stiles," you hummed. Stiles grinned, kissing you again. 

"Merry Christmas, Y/N."

[blueikeproductions]

The Trigger collab animation came out and it’s the best thing Transformers has done in the current decade.

Truly a love letter to Transformers from G1 to EarthSpark, it squeezes in everything it possibly can from most media. However the catch is that it’s only animated media and the live action movies, the comics (any assorted manga, Marvel, Dreamwave, IDW & Skybound) aren’t referenced, while some Japanese exclusive stuff gets a lil’ bit more attention (understandable since it’s, y’know, Japanese fans being nostalgic about the anime they grew up with).

Transformers Go, Q-Transformers, and the Beast Wars anime got particular attention.

This shot of Liger Megatron and Green Lion Lio Convoy is especially cool.

I think initially I was expecting a Trigger animated greatest hits from select moments from each show, and while they still technically do that in spots…

It’s mostly a mega crossover with different characters interacting otherwise.

And it’s all the better for it.

I mean where else are you gonna find TFA Optimus about to smash Masterforce Overlord’s face in?

There’s no real narrative, it’s just random cool shots though the closest thing to a framing device is the PV opening with Vector Prime looking down on Cybertron across all time lines.

Regarding EarthSpark’s contributions to the short, they’re minimal. The Terrans and Mandroid don’t appear at all, which is a little bizarre.

ES Megatron appears among the other Decepticon leaders instead of being with ES Optimus on the Autobot leader side.

You’d think Mandroid would be there next to BWII Galvatron instead, but I guess not. Sadly they omitted RiD15 Steeljaw too, instead using RiD15 Megatronus Prime’s floating head.

SatAM Robotnik voice: Ah well, life is not perfect.

The main ES rep are the Maltos.

This just reinforces ES needed to be 2D, because they actually look good. Roche’s style doesn’t work in 3D.

Anyway the human cast they chose for this final shot amuses me.

Love seeing my favorite Clays being included. The lack of RiD Steeljaw (G1 Steeljaw did appear with Lio Junior and RiD15 Aerobolt though) is forgiven.

Anyhow, the specific use of the Clays, the (S3) Witwickys, the Maltos and the Onishis (this is especially funny since Koji’s mom never met her universe’s Optimus) is somehow very random, but also kinda appropriate. Like I get Spike and Dot’s families, since it serves as bookends, but the Clays and Onishis still feel a bit random. Still, including both Robots in Disguise families is a nice touch in my book!

The short ends with a different bookend as mentioned.

What starts out as G1 Prime & Megs transitions to ES Prime & Megs shaking hands. The old with the current series. It works~! I admit I’m surprised they didn’t include TFONE somehow. I know it’s technically not out yet, but there’s enough material to have had Orion and D-16 have some kind of tussle. It would’ve been an interesting way to tie it into the above scene and this one:

When it comes to general rep, the stuff that gets the most focus is G1, Beast Wars, Animated, & Galaxy Force. Cyberverse doesn’t really get anything beyond the leader shot, but there is this awesome but very random shot of Croaton over looking Holi’s Rescue Patrol walking on a beach littered with the dead bodies of the generic Decepticons from “War Dawn”.

Sucks to be you guys.

It also occurs to me the Rescue Bots cartoons appear to be omitted along with BotBots, but that might partly be due to them not having Japanese releases? I’m not sure, but it’s funny how Q-Transformers is acknowledged of all things, but not Heatwave or Burgertron. Maaaaybe that’s for the best on the later…

Still the PV is a blast and is pry the most earnest passion project that GETS Transformers vs what we’ve been getting post Aligned cartoon wise.

I still hope this leads to a proper TF anime series made by Trigger, like what happened with Gridman. We need a return to good 2D animated TF shows and not more CGI slop like WFC or S2 ES. That Beast Wars and Machines are still superior despite being retro by today’s standards says something…

The catch however is the original video is region locked…

but some fans have ripped it and posted it on their YT:

So go check it out while you can! It’s pure Energon-y goodness!

[dramioneshipperz]

What do you like about riara?

Reasons I Personally Like Riara…

First of all, thank you so much anon for this question!

This really is a very broad question with a few parts to it. So I’m going to try my best to collect my thoughts below in detail. Spoilers for the show below. Hopefully this doesn’t end up being too long. 🫶🏻

Okay, so we need to start understanding what components contribute to why I personally like Riara. To understand the complexities of the ship, it also has to do with the characters themselves as individuals.

Topics to cover: character analysis (both Rafe and Kie), their history/relationship development and finally them as a ship.

Character Analysis - Rafe

Rafe is a very flawed character and I love that. We have seen this in many ways and learned there are factors that contribute to this. Upbringing (specifically classism and elitism ideologies), Ward / Rafe’s biological mother, neglected mental health, and isolation. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some.

A huge contributor is his father, Ward, who was emotionally manipulative and verbally abusive. Ward used the knowledge that Rafe wanted approval/love then withheld it unless it benefited him.

I think Wards actions/choices contributed to Rafe trying even harder to seek approval. Which is why Rafe shot Sherif Peterkin in season one. Not because he wanted to kill someone. He genuinely believed he was helping and saving his dad. In his mind, by making the “hard choice”… Rafe believed things like that are what it takes for his dad to care about him.

Now, we don’t know anything about Rafe and Sarah’s biological mom. We do know that Rose has been around since Rafe was 10 years old though. There was a comment about him having issues and needing help back then. I think whatever happened to Rafe’s mom and how bad a parent Ward was, it severely added to Rafe’s need for approval.

I think all of these things and the environment he was in contributed to his drug problems (that disappeared in season 3. Which I wish they’d talked about.)

Helping becomes a common theme throughout Rafe’s entire character arch. While sometimes misguided and blinded by the need to ‘take care of’ or ‘handle’ situations that could pose a threat to what he cares about, he does want to help. I think acts of service are his love language for sure along with receiving physical touch.

That’s how we shift over to Kie. Multiple times we’ve seen Rafe wanting to let her know he wants to help. Barbados, at the Pogues shop, and Morocco.

The first huge breakthrough happened in Barbados. Until that point, Rafe had never shared what he feels about these things he’s done. He opened up to Kie and we haven’t seen that with any other character. Not even with Sofia.

We see him show this vulnerability and remorse for his actions. He didn’t need to justify his actions or be so careful with the way he talked to her. There isn’t a single person Rafe has even remotely tired to connect with on a personal level other than Kie. He’s so guarded around Sofia that to me, it doesn’t feel like a deeper connection. The ground work isn’t there.

Fast forward to season 4. There’s two specific scenes that tie into Rafe’s character development. The first scene is when he’s at the beach. The Kooks are going after the Pogues, specifically Kie. The entire time he doesn’t laugh once. In fact, he seems upset watching the whole scene play out. This is the same guy who laughed when starting a fire to ‘smoke’ John B. and Sarah out of a church.

Bring us to the scene when Rafe showed up at the Pogues shop. We see Rafe staying to talk to Kie and brings up the turtles. Almost as if he wants her to know he was watching her.

The way he lowered himself to talk to her (which he seems to do during all of their interactions). Then he tells her he forgives her and that he’s on her side. Hello? What does Rafe gain to benefit from letting her know this information? Why did he stay to talk to her? Why does he care what Kie thinks about him?

There’s a lot of questions I have about that whole interaction. Lol.

Next, we get to the boat taking them to Morocco. Where Rafe’s still talking about Barbados when it’s been almost two years. He needed to add Kie into the conversation. More on this below when talking about Kie.

Then once we’re in Morocco after Sarah and JJ magically make it to land. The fact that Rafe’s annoyed because no one’s telling him what they’re doing but he listens to Kie the second she tells him to do something, is wild. Like he’s not afraid to yell at anyone else, but Kie he sits down and waits.

Lastly, when Rafe realizes JJ’s dead you can see how conflicted he is. And don’t get me started on the fact that Rafe is the one that dug the grave for the Pogues. 😭

Character Analysis - Kiara (Kie)

Kie is such a stubborn, independent, loyal, and moral driven character. There’s so many layers to her. From her relationship with her parents, to the Kooks, the environment, and specifically Rafe (which I think is his own category).

I think Kie, while I love her dearly, sometimes gets stuck in her ideals. I think the storyline with her parents is interesting. It essentially lays this foundation that she doesn’t put up with things. She’s very set in her ways to the point she’s willing to fight for what’s right. Even if that means reacting without thinking sometimes.

Let’s face it, Kie was a 16-17 year old girl disappearing without talking to her parents, totaling cars, admitting to sleeping with a Pogue, and running away from a troubled girls camp. I’d be upset if I was her mom. lol.

Now, so far we’ve seen Kie’s character development in two major ways. Learning about giving second chances and handling relationships (platonic and romantic). Since season 5 is considered Kie’s season, I am hoping the writers can give her more development.

In season 1, we see Kie struggling with past events with Sarah during her Kook year. This is where we see Kie learns to not only trust Sarah again, but also gain a best friend. Which is such a hard thing to learn at any age. This I feel like will play a huge hand in Kie and Rafe’s development in season five.

We also see Kie learning to listen without reacting. When she’s listening to Rafe talk about the things he’s done, we see her while uncomfortable, also empathetically listening. He’s done a lot of things, and while his upbringing isn’t an excuse, it’s what happened. There’s no reason for Kie to trust. But she does.

Now, some people argue the scene at the shop Kie is absolutely terrified of Rafe. I don’t think she is. Yes, she grabs the knife as protection. But if Kie was scared, then why is she being sarcastic and taunting him? She’s prepared for possibilities. Because let’s face it.

She did leave him stranded in Barbados and took his boat (which Rafe said was “our boat” when he pointed it out to Kie). I do find it hilarious that Rafe told JJ’s boss that JJ stole his boat and not Kie though. 😂

Next, the boat to Morocco and once they’re there.

On the boat, once Rafe’s tied up and they’re starting to take on water. Kie is the ONLY one to even think about saving Rafe. The knife also parallels earlier at the shop that Kie this time is using a knife to save Rafe from drowning. I love this. Because season two Kie would’ve let him drown. She would’ve told Sarah not to (if Sarah would’ve even tried. Season two was rough for everyone. lol.)

During the sandstorm, there’s the part where Rafe goes to buy them more time. Kie tries to stop him and argues he’s gonna get killed. Now, I don’t know how anyone else can argue here, Kie ACTIVELY tried to stop Rafe from getting hurt. That means on some level she now cares what happens to him. That is character and relationship development.

To go from screaming MURDERER in season 2 episode 1, to telling him not to do something because he’ll get killed in season 4 episode 10. I can’t even begin to describe how complex and completely insane that is to me.

Riara History / Development

Now for the history that started the first time we saw them on screen together in season 1. Immediately we see Rafe and Kie have some kind of history together. The soft way he’s talking to her. Like there was no reason for him to talk to her that way.

We know for a fact, Rafe finds Kie attractive and has always liked her. This is canon. So it’s very possible something happened during her Kook year. I think Rafe has had feelings for Kie since they were in school together.

Now this is a side tangent, they were canonically in high school together. I’ve seen this argument that Rafe’s some huge creep because they are so far apart in age. Which is the stupidest argument for them not to be together. He’s 19 in season one. Kie is born in 2003. Season one is in 2020. (They’re at most, three years apart.)

Okay, so history covered. If we look at their relationship (not specifically referring to romantic) in season 1. There a huge shift from indifference on Kie’s end to hate when she finds out he killed Peterkin. Then Rafe, he goes from a repressed crush to hate. We see the change happen when they’re looking for JJ’s dad’s boat.

In season 2, while I still think Rafe has that repressed crush on Kie, it’s still enveloped by this hate for all the Pogues and his sister.

Now, season 3 is a HUGE change. We get Barbados. From Rafe confiding in Kie, Kie getting a look at his remorse, and them working together. They both had to trust each other and work together to get out of Barbados. While Kie still doesn’t trust him, she got to see a side of him no one has. And I love that that.

Which brings us to season 4. I think we may look back at this season later and consider it the turning point. Hopefully. Where Rafe still continues to try and be better, to let Kie know that he wants to be better. Then Kie learning that she on some level cares if he lives or dies. We also see Rafe taking the stops to show the Pogues he’s not the same person that tried to kill them. (He dug JJ’s grave by himself 😭).

Now to see what the writers do next because they proved they aren’t trust worthy after season 4 and how they strategically dismantled JJ’s character bit by bit before killing him. Such bad writing.

Riara Ship

Now the ship! I liked the idea of Riara in season one. But season three, in Barbados, solidified the ship for me. As I’ve mentioned in so many ways above, they seem to have this pull to each other. Wanting to help each other.

I like that Rafe genuinely confides in Kie. I like the progression of their relationship. And Kie isn’t afraid to hold him accountable for his actions. Then on the flip side, I like that Kie doesn’t feel the need to hide what she’s feeling in fear of hurting him or his feelings (side eyeing her time with Pope). I like that she trusts him when it comes down to it.

The writers have set up this foundation that could be so good. And if we don’t get it in season 5 I’ll be here keeping the ship afloat with fanfiction.

If you read this far, omg, thank you so much. This was a lot. 😂

[infini-tree]

episodic - part 4

< back | next >

---------------------

Summary: Everyone doubles down.

A/N: alternative chapter summary: Melvin Has A Normal Day.

once again thank you art of book for listing all the faculty names and subjects. 

on that note: Melvin's characterization. since this au is primarily based on movie continuity, in the end i decided to defer to its lead. which makes things difficult, as most of his inventions were all pretty lowkey (and the turbo toilet had been further augmented by a third party), and some future plots hinge on his more OP inventions. scene 2 is meant to bridge the character gap between all his incarnations, and also narratively sets some stuff up for this AU. i did say he's a core secondary,

---------------------

With the final bell rung, Benjamin made quick work of packing his suitcase. Considering how fast the kids ran out of the school, the halls should be quiet now. The last thing he needed was noise and talking. And so, he stepped out into a reception room filled with faculty. 

Not just talking– yelling. At him.

He glanced over to Anthrope, who should have shooed them all away. Her now-empty seat was still swivelling. 

“Of course,” he grumbled.

“Whadd'ya mean 'of course'?” Rected griped.

“We’re up to our eyelids in marking these brats’ worksheets!” Ribble waved a stack of papers at his face– all from the impromptu beach day, if he read the date right. “And you expect us to mark an entire grade’s worth of volcano projects?!”

“Clearly it's not just the students that need to apply themselves.” 

The rest of the teachers froze.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” He narrowed his eyes, his tone still as clipped from the announcements. “Aren’t you the one always complaining about their marks?”

“Well, yes, but–”

“But nothing, you're the one who insisted on teaching three subjects.” He moved on to other teachers. “Meaner, you’re only doing the running tests– I don’t see why you’re complaining. The most you have to do is make sure they don’t trip over their own shoelaces.”

“The papers–”

“Because its so hard keeping track of when kids stop running.” He turned to Guided. “And you– all the tests are based on stuff your class should have covered by now.”

Guided grumbled something about how the topics were from the start of the semester, no one remembers that.

“Dayken–” Said teacher jolted up from the back. “What are you even doing here? You're a kindergarten teacher.”

“I wanted to feel included--”

“In any case, all I’m hearing–” He pointed an accusatory finger at all of them. “Is that all of you are mad that you need to actually do your job.”

“Excuse you?!” Ribble shot back. No other teachers spoke up.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m trying to do before you barged in here.” He pointed at Rected and Ribble. “You have until the end of the week to make it work.”

He could feel something tighten in his chest flare as he saw the teachers back off. It wasn’t relief, but it was a near thing. At least he wasn’t on the back foot. 

“Dismissed.” The tone broached no argument.

The impromptu staff meeting ended– not with a bang, but a whimper. More accurately, it was a grumble of swears that cannot be recounted in a fanwork made for general audiences. He watched all the teachers skulk out of the room with a leveled glare. 

None of them dared to look back.

If we could have, we would have. Who else would agree?

He stood there until he was absolutely sure he couldn’t hear anyone nearby. After that, it was just a matter of going down the steps. Of making it through the hallway. 

Ignoring how unmoored he felt. He looked to his feet– left, right, left, right. Repeat until he was at the door.

It wasn’t the first time anyone would have thought that about him. Heck, it wasn’t the first time the quiet part was said out loud. It was, however, the first time it was actually doable.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, Ben?”

“Guh–” He whirled around. “Edith!”

She blinked. He stared. The silence lingered a bit too long for his liking, though it was clear she wanted to say something. 

“Do you need anything?” he managed.

“Are you alright?” When no answer came, she continued to trail off. “I mean, I– I saw everyone goin’ up to your office. And then there was the announcement earlier, so–”

“Of course I am.”

Another blink. “O– oh, uh, ok, then…”

“OK, then.” 

Edith persisted. She trailed behind him closely as he came closer to the door. Most days he’d be a little endeared to it, but right now, right now–

“So, where are you going to set up this whole ‘science fair’? You, uh. Forgot to mention it.”

Of course he did. “The cafeteria. It has the space for it.”

He held a hand up to the door. 

“I guess the floors have to be cleaned early…” she mumbled. “Uh, hey– wait!”

He had barely half-opened it.

“If you need anything, just ask, OK?” Then, in a lower voice, she added: “I don’t know why you’re actually doin’ this, but–”

His hand was gone as he whipped back to look at her. “Actually?” he snapped back. 

“I– I know you, and you wouldn’t be doin’ this without a reason.”

“Know me?”

His rage was already so spent– from the boys, the teachers, the other guy, it can only persist for so long. It doesn’t billow out so much as burn him out from the inside. And when pushed that far, something had to give.

“It took you a month to realize I wasn’t being an idiot on purpose,” he said. “The real question is why didn't I do it sooner.” 

Edith’s eyes widened and her shoulders shrank at the remark. Guilt curdled in him, but it was a distant thing. He wanted to leave. He wanted to reach out and take it back. His body chose the worst compromise between the two and made him stand there like an idiot.

“OK then.” She looked away. “Um, I guess I’ll prep the cafeteria for it then.”

“OK then,” was all Benjamin could manage before she left to do just that. Which was fine. That’s what he wanted, right? He needed to get going too.

Left, right, left, right. Car. Drive. He forced himself to focus on the road completely. To hold onto the wheel like a lifeline. And it worked. At least until he hit the first red light– and then the thoughts crept in.

He should have said something different. He should have said it differently. What kind of answer was I should have done it sooner, anyway? 

His knuckles turned bone-white at his grip. 

Still, he felt unmoored– like a sharp turn would make him leap out of his own body, and– If we could have, we would have, George’s voice rattled in his head. They had the motive, and they had shown time and time again they had the means. 

And yet here he still was: sweating in sixty-degree weather.

He wasn’t sure what that meant, but it was yet another thing to mull over and hang over the other guy.

---------------------

For the next two days, the elementary school was a minefield for George and Harold. Which was why they found themselves stumbling around a corner and quickly entering the nearest empty classroom. The small mob ran past the corner none the wiser.

Harold gave a forlorn look to the stack of comics in his arms. “I don’t know how much of the sales can take this.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” George placed a hand to the other boy’s shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

A pause. The other boy gave a cautious look around, now that they had a moment to breathe.

“Well, maybe put that on hold for five minutes, what the heck is up with this classroom?”

The classroom looked normal for the most part– if you ignored the absurd number of desks. There had to be triple the amount– several stacked up on each other like a fortress or maze walls. One precarious tower looked further away than it should be possible in a room this size, but it could easily be tiny desks.

“What the…”

“You two!” a voice cried.

“Ah!” Harold yelled.

“Ah!” George yelled with a little jump.

‘Ah,’ Melvin did not yell. Instead, he said: “I’m surprised you two aren’t out for recess.”

They were still standing by the door so there was no chance of him sneaking past them, and his shock of ginger hair would have stood out if he had decided to stay in. 

“Yeah, well, I’m surprised you, uh… you…” George said, letting the statement hang. “-- That you’re not working on something for that pop science fair.”

Melvin didn't react. He didn’t know whether it was better or worse– especially after Krupp made that dreaded announcement.

“What is it this time?” he continued, gesturing to the desks. “Something that increases the amount of class per classroom?"

"A scale model of the school’s pop science fair-- with additional statistics?” Harold added.

“Something to make people remember why they went into a room!” George added with a laugh, before snapping to a more contemplative look. “No wait, that’d actually be… not half-bad.”

“Hm. I’ll make a note of those,” Melvin said as he continued to stand there and not do that. The conversation lulled into silence a beat longer than comfortable. Before they could speak up, he added: “And for your information, I am working on it. Hold on.”

The both of them gave another cautious once-over to the room. The room– outside of the weird amount of desks– looked normal. It looked free of any invention, save for the muffled rattling noise. George had even peeked behind the teacher’s desk on the off chance it was hidden. 

“What do you mean hold on? There isn’t anything here.”

Melvin didn’t answer. 

Instead, the walls and some of the surrounding fixtures started shimmering different colors before settling on the color of error bars you see on TV.

Harold jumped away from a nearby desk he was leaning on as he felt it shift and become less sturdy, wobbling like heat hazes. As they lifted up to the ceiling, the whir had become a fraction louder.

“What’s going on?” he turned around. “Melv– ah!”

George let out a yell, seeing Melvin’s shape shimmer until he was a mass of red and greens. He ran to him, and his first instinct was to try and grab where his shoulder was. All his fingers met was air. Then thin strands as his hand sailed past where his shoulders would be and into the now-clump of what was the tattletale.

“Melvin!”

The strands rose up and darted away like all the other ones until they were standing in a regular classroom with its usual amount of desks and a third smaller than it looked before.

“He was too young!” George said.

“It should have been me!” Harold threw himself to the ground, bashed a fist against it, and stopped. He thought for a moment before continuing in the same dramatic cadence: “OK, I take it back, that’s a bit too much, but you get it!”

“Are you two done yet?” 

“I swear I can still hear his voice, even now–” the boy whipped his head around so fast his tie went askew. “Melvin!”

He got out of his overdramatic kowtow. “What the heck?!”

“Like I said, I’m working on the Warp-Weft-O-Tron 2000,” he said like it would explain everything. “Stress-testing it, to be more accurate.”

“The wh–” Before George could finish his sentence, the other boy stood up and pointed at the whirring thing behind Melvin.

In the corner of the classroom, around some tools and papers was something that took the space of two desks. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a sewing machine grafted beside a blocky computer . The needle continued its work and its now-unobscured rattling.

They all followed the threads converged to the machine, now completely colorless. They could just barely see the shiny thread zip through it and up the machine until even that thread dissipated. And once it did, the needle made its final whirring before powering down.

The adrenaline of seeing a kid disintegrate, like the strings a few seconds ago, dissipated to incredulity. 

“What kind of science is that thing for–” Harold pointed an accusatory finger at the machine. “Freak-People-Out-ology?!”

“It's built on the principles of techno-textiles and a bit of virtual simulation.” Melvin clicked his pen a few times before pointing it at them. “How about you two?”

“Huh?”

That was apparently the wrong answer as he put a finger to his temple. “I’m merely curious what you’re working on, seeing as Krupp’s announcement said you two suggested the pop science fair.”

And you believe him? George wanted to say, before answering his own question– of course he’d believe that.

Or at the very least, he wouldn’t cast further doubt. Doubting Krupp would mean doubting The Man. Plus, grades were on the line, and that was top priority to the tattletale than trying to think through whether they would ever suggest that.

It had only occurred now to George that that was the reason why Melvin wasn’t automatically on the defensive.

“We’re, uh– keeping it under wraps,” Harold said, realizing the other boy was taking too long to reply.

“Of course.” Melvin nodded in understanding as he made his way to the Warp-Weft-O-Tron and pulled out a spool the size of a lava lamp sitting on top of the sewing machine half. Its threads were soot grey and frayed. He placed it to the side and put an empty spool in its place, but not without grumbling about the material being insufficient.

“I will admit, the sudden nature of this assessment adds a wrench to everything, but– nothing like the stress of an unforeseen deadline to get everything in gear.”

Harold stared at the machine, and then to the boy still engrossed in fixing… whatever. In gear was an understatement if he made a simulation machine on a time crunch.

“You were really holding out on us all these years,” George said, eyeing the computer.

Rows of code scrolled up its screen. Most of it was gibberish, but there were parts he could understand. A record of previous commands and whether it was typed out or recorded through audio. S., MELVIN x1, DESK x15, and more distressingly, a MATERIAL PROCESS WARNING, whatever that was.

“How’d a sock sorter beat this out when you were picking out stuff for the Invention Convention?”

He poked around a nearby toolbox– which was more of a folder of assorted squares of materials. Many of them looked like normal threads, but a good chunk of them weren’t, from how the light bounced off them. 

“Firstly: it's a sock matcher. Secondly: Krupp only accepts the ‘practical’ ones–” He pulled out a square of the latter and placed it in an adjacent slot. Something between contemplation and annoyance edged into his tone. “The Turbo Toilet was pushing it. But, the pop science fair has no such restrictions!” 

“...It doesn’t?”

A thread the same color as the square spat out of some unseen cavity and began wrapping itself around the spool.

“I asked Ms. Ribble about the specificities for this assignment, and she said, and I quote: ‘sure, do what you need to do’.”

George and Harold both sucked a breath through their teeth. Unlike the tattletale, they knew that wasn’t full permission, so much as the classic grown-up tactic of dismissing a kid by giving them a vague answer to sate them.

“Guess not even tattling can get you all the perks you want,” Harold said carefully.

Melvin stopped typing on the computer part of the machine for a moment. With him faced away, they weren’t sure what expression was on his face, but they could feel a shift. Nothing as drastic as what happened in the principal’s office, but it was there.

“You should go.” It wasn’t a suggestion. “I need to troubleshoot.” 

Harold looked to the clock. Recess was almost over, which meant their opportunities to prepare were dwindling.

“Right,” George said.

And they slipped back into an empty hallway. They looked back, and through the window-sliver on the door, they could see the threads shoot up and around the room. The classroom became a black void, though it slowly made its way along the color spectrum.

“What do you think?” Harold asked.

“That our playground street cred is in the gutter at this rate,” George replied.

He gave him a light punch on the arm. Despite everything they couldn’t help but laugh, the sound echoing through the hall. 

“We could use it in the Captain Plan,” Harold replied. “It might be a little difficult to, ah–”

“Turbo Toilet it?” George finished, thinking back to the Invention Convention. He watched as Melvin tried to recalibrate it. “It’s a pretty big wildcard.”

As if on cue, after a few basic prisms popped into existence in the classroom, a rough approximation of a cat did. That, apparently, was too much as the simulation spooled itself back up like before. 

“But I think we do need a wildcard. It'd drive Krupp up the wall.”

Harold winced. “Well, I mean it can’t make anything worse.”

The both of them walked off to the abandoned art room. Harold shuffled his backpack to the front of him as he counted up the supplies he pilfered. To name a few: flour and water to make glue on the fly. Baking soda and vinegar, because those were Classics. Toilet paper– ‘nuff said.

He stared at a box labelled Office Supplies. In it were huge packs of sticky notes, for irony.

As wrong as Melvin was about whose idea the pop science fair was, he was right, frustratingly, about one thing: nothing like the stress of a deadline to get everything in gear.

---------------------

The Captain Plan was one of their simpler plans, in theory. 

It was simple in the sense that it was meant to only target Krupp. The hard part, for obvious reasons, was that Captain Underpants was integral to said plan.

It amounted to swapping them out at strategic places they set up. Things he can’t stand. Things that he’d be afraid of. Long enough for the experience to stick. Then they’d swap him back to Captain and slowly amp it up. Rinse and repeat.

They’d keep doing this until he took everything back– the whole assignment gauntlet, the whole thing with the science fair–

The whole capital T Thing with Captain. 

And if he refused, well– there wasn’t anything else for it except to rinse and repeat until he did. They’ve got almost half a decades’ worth of grievances to pull back up. 

(“Krupp won’t– can’t expel us for this,” George said the night before, his form backlit by a jumbo flashlight. “I mean, he’ll need us to ‘deal’ with Captain.”

The Treehouse’s windows were boarded up to get ready for the colder weather. They should be prepping it for winter, putting stuff away so it won’t get messed up, since they insisted they didn’t need George’s parents’ help, but here they were– 

“I mean, he could hold us back now.”

“But would he really want to keep us there if we keep doing this?”

Harold shivered. “Point taken.”)

The walkie-talkie in Harold’s pocket made a noise. 

“Yyyello’.”

“How’s it going?”

Right now, the ‘it’ in question was scoping out the cafeteria. The tables were all neatly arranged in rows and ready for whatever project the fourth graders will put on them later. There was no one here save for Edith, who was deep in the kitchen.

“Melvin’s stuff is here.” 

He made his way over to the Warp-Weft-shaped tarp. After double checking for any Tattle-Turtles, he was disappointed to find no obvious screws to loosen at the access hatch.

Harold began pulling at the spool on top, unsure of how exactly to mess it up outside of tying the thread in knots. One end of the thread snaked its way to the needle, while the other end–

The other end came out of a small hole, which in turn was connected to the strange hatch Melvin put in that material square that one time. He pulled out a pair of undies, courtesy of Captain himself, and stuffed it into the slot.

The sewing machine whirred, clearly having difficulty with processing a non-square material. The thread didn’t move to spool itself, but it must have processed it by the way the underpants were disappearing in the slot.

As for the computer: it reminded him more of the school printer. There were menus upon menus of settings. In any case, Harold set out to randomly poking at them all. Some he understood– audio commands on, because that may be useful for their plan since it would be easier than trying to get close to type anything out. Everything else?

“...What the heck is a Young’s Module?” Harold asked, less out of curiosity and more to commentate for George’s benefit. “What do you think? Max or minimum?”

“I mean, Krupp’s pretty old…” his voice crackled through the walkie talkie.

“High it is!” And with that, he quickly swiped it as far to the right as he could before quickly closing everything out to the first screen. “OK, I’ll get back to y–”

“Ben!” Edith’s voice called out from across the cafeteria.

Harold ducked under the tarp before either of them could see him.

“We got a situation. Krupp’s here,” he whispered loudly.

“What? Why?!”

Harold hazarded to peek at the small gap between the tarp and the floor. He had been expecting like-liking goo-goo talk. If he had to be honest, he would have preferred that to whatever angry inspector routine Krupp was doing.

“Checking, I think.” 

He tilted his head at the principal running a finger over a table for dust. The action was clearly more for acting out… whatever this was, than any actual concern for cleanliness. The lunch lady continued to trail behind him, trying– and failing– to start a conversation.

There was a quick inhaling noise through the speakers. “OK, give me a minute. Move when I give the signal.”

Harold didn’t reply, mostly because they were close enough that he could hear them. Even from this distance, he could see how heavy the bags under his eyes were. How his posture was more hunched than usual.

Krupp sighed deeply, and his shoulders sagged even further. “I’ve been through worse. Trust me.” It almost sounded like a plea.

The lunch lady had no time to dwell on a response as the intercom screeched to life.

“Principal Krupp, please report to your office immediately,” George’s voice crackled through the intercom with a mock-smug air.

“Oh, for–” Said principal ran past her brusquely that the pin that was keeping her bangs up over her face had jostled to cover half her eye.

The signal!

“Good talk!” she called after him belatedly, but made no move to go after him. Then with a big sigh, she mumbled, “I’m blowin’ this.”

And with that, she made her way back to the kitchen and finally gave Harold an opening to get out of there. He made a mad dash to the doors, making sure to not slam it as he trailed him. Now that he was in the hallway, the faint sound of crackling and shuffling echoed throughout.

“Hey, how far is he from the office?” George asked, his voice crackling from both walkie talkie and still-active intercom.

“He’s making his way up as we speak.” 

“Cool.”

Krupp was up the first half of the stairs when he turned around. He was breathing heavily, and it was definitely not just because he was speed-walking up the stairs.

“You two have got a lot of nerve disrupting everything–”

“You’re one to talk,” Harold replied, thinking about the pop science fair coming up in a few hours. To all their years in school. To the capital T Thing with Captain.

The principal halfway down a step to approaching him until–

SNAP. The sound reverberated through the school intercoms. For a split second he saw something cross his face. Wide eyes. Furrowed brows.

And then Captain Underpants fell on said face.

He snapped back up, the toupee sitting lopsided on his head. “Sidekick! Where’s–”

Harold held up the walkie talkie. 

“Up here,” George replied.

He gave an unsure look as he tried to find where up was in relation to a walkie talkie.

“In the office,” Harold clarified. He walked past him and up the stairs, motioning him to follow.

Captain stood up, wiping the grit from his cheek. It might be because he took a heck of a tumble, but there wasn’t the typical shock of liveliness he expected when he swapped in. All things considered, he was… well, maybe not calm, but expectant.

George was standing at the receptionist half of the office, one of the curtains tucked under his arm. 

“You ready?” Then, in a stage whisper to Harold: “Anthrope’s gone off because of… ‘printer repairs’.”

Harold stared at the empty corner of the room. There was a smattering of printer ink at the walls, outlining the office printer that was not there anymore. They couldn’t help but snicker conspiratorially.

“Er,” Captain leaned over to look at what had got their attention. “What’s the plan to Free The Children now, sidekicks?” 

“We’re putting Krupp through his own personal gauntlet.”

“I don’t think it’ll take long for him to crack.” Harold gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. “We’ll make sure of it. Everything’ll be back to the way it was faster than–”

“A speeding waistband?” the superhero offered. He was definitely hiding it as he shimmied out of the principal’s clothes and put on his cape, but that same look was back on his face. 

“Exactly.”

“Where do we start?” He approached the ink stains on the wall, as if expecting the answer to pop out of the mess.

“Uh, Captain?” George pulled his attention back to the door of the principal’s office. He opened it with an overdramatic flourish. “Just step into our office for this first bit.”

Harold let out a low whistle at the sight. Every surface of the room was covered in sticky notes, leaving the room in an unsightly pale yellow that made the room look flat. Between the writing and the shadows, it did little to help figure out where everything was as Captain nearly tripped on a chair.

“What do you think of our Prankovation 2– trademark?”

Captain took to floating, mindful not to touch anything. He looked confused– he probably didn’t get things like irony yet. “…How long did this even take you?”

“Prankster’s trade secret.”

“This looks done, though,” he hedged. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to help you here– especially with this–”

He gestured to his wrists, now tied together by jump rope courtesy of Harold. The boy went over to the sticky notes-engulfed water cooler and poured out a thimble’s amount into an open hand.

“For this one, we need to swap you back over to Krupp,” George explained. Seeing the superhero's disappointed look, he quickly continued: “This part's quick-- we're going to bring you back right after for the next bit.” 

“O– OK, then sidekicks. I trust you.” Captain twisted around so his face was in patting distance. This close, he could see the expression for what it was– hesitation.

And Captain was gone, leaving Krupp to fall on the floor, a flutter of pale yellow in his wake.

[girlacticrailroad]

friendly rivalry deep dive part 2

The first episode of Friendly Rivalry doesn’t waste time, so neither will I. After Seul-gi’s abandonment at the beach, we skip right over any questions about why her parents aren’t able to find her, and jump straight into her Dickensian life at the orphanage. Neglected by the staff, she often misses meals, and drinks water from the tap at night to try to fill herself up. But she never feels full.

I *love* this detail. There’s so much packed into just a fews lines of narration and a single shot. It feels like the kind of thing a kid in her situation would do—if you’re hungry, and there’s nothing to eat, but there’s unlimited water in the faucet, why wouldn’t you try to fill yourself up that way? But the scene also doubles as a metaphor, as the heart-shaped hole in her shadow helpfully indicates, in case you weren’t picking up on the subtext. She’s not just hungry for food—this poor kid wants love! It didn’t hit me the first time around, but maybe the saddest line this episode is when Seul-gi casually tells us she imagined there must have been a leak somewhere inside her. Kids don’t know how to process neglect. The only way she can make sense of the emptiness she feels is to assume she’s defective somehow.

Also—that water motif. It’s everywhere in this series.

From the orphanage we transition to school, where Seul-gi becomes the target of bullies who just like to pick on orphans, apparently. The bullying scene isn’t as vivid as the tap water one, but it elaborates on the same theme. Nowhere is safe for Seul-gi. Whether noticed or ignored, she’s as isolated as ever.

We get our first subtle hint of social commentary when Seul-gi tells us it’s difficult for kids at the orphanage who lack documentation to find part-time jobs. Luckily there’s a hot local hooligan who can help. (According to the internet this guy’s name is...Byeong-jin?) Under his wing, Seul-gi gets a gig using a fake ID and falsified prescriptions to score pills for selling on the black market, and can we all please take a moment to admire Seul-gi’s evolution from her femme princess phase to butch streetwear queen.

I really like the first conversation between Seul-gi and the K-pop idol gangster. In a way, this is our introduction to the grown-up version of Seul-gi played by Chung Su-bin. We’ve been listening to her narrate, and we’ve seen her in montage, but we haven’t seen how she acts around other people. She’s prickly and a bit of an asshole, and I love her to death. The way she bristles instinctively when he tries to strike up a conversation is so telling. Just being reminded that he’s aware of her existence sets off an alarm.

Byeong-jin puts a twist on the classic “don’t do drugs, stay in school” speech—stay in school, do drugs that make you better at it—then hooks her up with the Good Shit. This is the first major turning point for Seul-gi. As she rises through the school ranks, for the first time in her life, she is noticed by other people in a way that feels good. It’s probably not a coincidence that she becomes an addict at the same time. The positive attention Seul-gi receives is conditional. To keep getting special treatment, she needs to keep doing well in school. (To keep doing well, she has to, or believes that she has to, keep taking the pills.) Her academic success comes with material benefits, but no one around Seul-gi notices her because she’s Seul-gi—they notice her because she’s smart.

The point here is pretty explicit: The drive to excel, fueled by competition, is like an addiction. Schools produce little junkies.

You’ll never guess what visual metaphor FR chooses to represent Seul-gi’s first pill-fueled study sesh…lol yep it’s water! Earlier, water represented her futile attempts to feel whole. The drugs submerge her completely. It’s a kind of fulfillment, but a temporary one. People can’t live underwater; she’s going to have to surface eventually. I have to say, while I love the concept, and the music is fucking rad, the CGI bubble is extremely silly. Bubbles are not filled with water. They are air.

In Part 1, I said it was a bold move to have the plot of Friendly Rivalry hinge on the main character being separated from her parents in a way that seems logically almost impossible. What happens next—or what doesn’t happen I guess—is maybe just as audacious. Out of nowhere Seul-gi tells Pop Star Pusher Man that she’s quitting, because she’s moving to Seoul, because she’s found her dad. How did she “find” him? Uhh it happens entirely offscreen so idk! I think it’s implied that she hears about her father’s death in the news, and recognizes his name, or his photo, and realizes she must be his daughter…? But you have to put those pieces together yourself, because FR spares no time for explanations. (My guess is based on the TV news broadcast that plays while Seul-gi is packing, which foreshadows a lot of plot stuff that only becomes relevant later, so I’ll skip over it for now.) The first time I watched Friendly Rivalry, this development was so sudden and jarring, I thought she might have stolen someone’s identity. All you really know for sure is that she’s moving and transferring to a new school. It isn’t even directly stated that she’s transferring to the school where her father taught.

And that brings us up to the very first title card. Yes, I am still only ten minutes into the first episode. Ooof. I said in my review that there is more character development in the first two episodes of FR than in all sixteen episodes of The Loyal Pin. Readers—I was wrong. There is more character development in the first ten minutes of FR than in the entirety of The Loyal Pin.

And I haven’t even covered everything! Two last little details I noticed. I love the brief shot (and I mean brief—like two seconds long) of grown-up Seul-gi drinking water from the tap at night. It’s just enough to underline that, although her circumstances may have changed, her past is still very much with her. She may have found a way to plug that leak for a little while, but being top of the class isn’t the same as being loved.

Lastly, this must have been intentional, right?

That’s a lot of van in ten minutes. We have the yellow kindergarten van, the gray orphanage shuttle, and finally the black drugmobile. I truly have no clue what the significance of the vans might be, or if this is something that will come up ever again, but I thought it was worth noting just in case.

I really am impressed with the attention to detail in this opening sequence and how well it lays the foundation for our protagonist. Even if there were no GL element to this series at all, I think this backstory would have grabbed me, because Seul-gi is such a fully realized and compelling character unto herself. A lot of GLs don’t take the time to give the leads this kind of individual depth, but I’m glad this one does.

[galway-girlatwork]

I wasn’t tagged for this but Jana and Jo encouraged me to do this. And of course I am doing it last minute. 😊

So long story short…I do not do self-love. I find it actually mentally and emotionally painful. Years of trauma does that to a person.

I also do not believe that I am as good of a writer as others here. I read fics by Freya, Jett, Emily, Ali, Jana, Jo and so many more talented people, that I think, why the hell bother.

But I keep writing because I hear the stories in my head, no I am not crazy. Something will trigger a scene or an idea and then BAM, here I am with more WIP’s than I can shake a fuckin stick at.

So, here I am, trying to do self-love. Thank you, Jana, for making the incredible banner and encouraging me and thank you Jo for your encouragement as well. Without you two’s amazing messages, I never would have done this.

Joel Miller-

Fragile State

This was written for @burntheedges Roll-A-Trope Writing Challenge-

I wrote this from Tara’s POV. I wanted to show how devastating it was for a wife to lose her husband, temporally, and how it affects those around him.

Beyond the Wall

This was inspired by one of Jett’s boyfriend vibes. Not the best smut as I really do suck at writing it but the angst with Joel and Stacie was something I felt. We never see what life was like in the QZ, how the struggle to survive was real.

Echoes of Hope

I know we were supposed to only include a series that was finished. This beast has one more chapter to it but to be honest I do not know when I will complete her. I started this in March and it took on a life of its own. Joel and Raven are in a good place right now. So many have told me how I need to end it but none of those ideas can be put to paper. I honestly feel that they deserve the peace they have right now.

Marcus Pike

Shadow and Flame

This was inspired by a beautiful mood board gifted to me by the amazing Freya. I had fun with this and I loved writing Daciana. She gave poor Marcus a run for his money. I would like to think that eventually they ended up together on a beach somewhere.

Marcus Moreno

Some Bodies

This was another writing challenge. Back at the end of July, @iamasaddie posted a “create your story” video. The concept was to screen shot each segment and you would get a story outline. Well, this where Marcus meets Priestly in Rome. Strangers to lovers. I love Priestly and there is nothing wrong with being an insecure Mafia boss. Marcus was a little surprised by how straight forward she is.

Last but most certainly not least is Frankie.

Deliver Me

Was yet another writing challenge, this one by written for Steph’s writing challenge. She let me know that yes kindergarten teachers can have sex. LMAO. But it’s really a love story and how the patience of one man can deliver a broken woman to the other side.

Beyond Times Edge

Oh Frankie and Una. I truly believe the epilogue was written better than the story. I had so much more detail in it but I loved Frankie in this. He realized witches and fairy rings were real. I can't thank Freya enough for the mood board and letting me know I could go anywhere with him.

So those are the favorites I’ve written this year. Some of the fics I’ve written were absolute bombs, I don’t do fluff very well but if you’re interested in those, they are on AO3. All of them have songs they’ve been written to. Music drives me so much. So if you want some of my favorite songs I’ve written to, let me know.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Oh and Jana and Jo…Thank you so very much.

Love, Dez.

PS. Thank you to @saradika-graphics for making beautiful dividers and for the book cover template that we all used this year. You are amazing.

Tagging below the peeps who've read my stories and those writers that I've read and absolutely love. @guiltyasdave @jolapeno @morallyinept @almostfoxglove @toomanystoriessolittletime @iamasaddie @604to647 @seven-seas-of-rhye-bread @pearlessance @wintrwinchestr @justagalwhowrites @whocaresstillthelouvre @pedgito @burntheedges

[watchingblsnowandforever]

Ep. 16: The Happily Ever After

Hello! =D

I can't believe this is my last We Are post wow- It feels like just yesterday I was here typing out my first one because I had one too many Thoughts about it. Anyways, not to get too sentimental on main, here you go:

Warning: not a very long post, actually 😊😅

The result of long-term exposure to his boyfriend and his extreme levels of cheesiness hehe

Seriously though, I love how Fang is slowly but surely opening up to loud gestures of love (I think previously, he just wasn't used to loving loudly, he was used to loving with his whole heart but keeping it to himself because he never felt safe enough to express it).

I love how they're from absolutely different faculties and are still studying together like yess go besties who are in love with each other but are too oblivious to realise it!

Peem with Phum usually: *swats at Phum at the slightest sign of PDA even though he really enjoys it*

Peem when others say something about their relationship: So, Phum, what do you say, want me to kiss you senseless right here right now?

(And we all know what Phum's answer is gonna be hehe)

Hasn't even been two minutes in the room and they're already breaking into the bed 😭😭

(I really love this scene btw, the simple fun of it, and even though it's not sensual, it's intimate and very them.)

This pair of besties is gonna kill me istg

They keep hitting me with banger after banger of emotional lines and my heart is already weak don't do this to me 😭😭

Frankly though, I like this scene very much, the "I loved you no matter who i knew you as" and "I have always loved you" of it all really got to me.

Poor Tan 😭

That's why you never brag about something before it gets over Tan-

I love how Fang not only lets him lie on his lap but also scratches his hair hehe

And how Peem doesn't hesitate one bit to give Tan a good smack upside the head 😭

AND THE SCENE WITH TAN "ACCIDENTALLY" LETTING OUT THAT CHAIN HAS A CRUSH ON PUN AND PUN STILL BEING SO DAMN OBLIVIOUS I'M DYING 😭😂😭

I adore this scene a ridiculous amount, but I love even more that it was Phum who planned it like yess he's been wingman-ing his phi and friend since Day 1 and he never stopped.

Others have gaydars, PhumPeem have faen-dars: they know when their faen is looking at them or coming towards them.

Not a bad power to have, honestly. I approve.

THIS SCENE.

THE FRIENDSHIP. THE PAST, PRESENT AND THE FUTURE OF IT.

THE OG 5 (note how Peem is sitting at the centre? It's indicative of how he's the centre of the group and if I had to make an educational guess, probably the reason why they're all together in the first place).

This made me cry.

I have nothing else to say about this except this is one of the best damn shots of this show, which is saying something cause the cinemtaography up till this has been ridiculously good.

Of course. <33

And I'll be writing about how they spill the tea about their respective faens

😳

Tan: *tries to be slow and sexy*

Fang: no. We're doing this now.

Honestly though, this kiss was amazing, as were all their other kisses. Hats off to AouBoom, they absolutely slayed.

Et tu, Toey? T~T

Also another very nice scene.

I knew where this was going (how could anyone not after all those 15 eps) and I think Phum would have definitely gone over to sit on Peem's lap (@Peach thank you for that mental image btw 😭) if not for the structural instability of boats on land (I did sit on once with and trust me, those things maybe super sturdy or whatever in water, but they do NOT belong on land, especially not on the beach).

I-

I'll be right there in the corner sobbing my eyes out if you need me.

The way he kept saying his name, like he was actually tasting it, trying out all the different tones, and the way Phum kept replying, all smiles and soft voice, I-

I can't with these two. They're too damn much for my poor heart.

This also inspired another smut fic but SHUSH

No, nope, not doing this-

SIGH.

Okay, so see how Phum says "Thank you for being a good story in my life?" For Phum, having Peem in his life really does feel like a story, something out of the books he read (headcanon) and something too good to be true. But he's starting to realize that this is true, that Peem is here to stay.

Peem says "Thank you for letting me step into your life" because he knows all the issues Phum has, that it's hard for him to really let people in. But he let Peem in to love him, and Peem is grateful because it gave him someone to love and be the comfort zone for, but also gave him someone who loved him.

In this essay, I will-

BROTHERS-IN-LAW.

Also, no kidding, I got a mental image of Fang and Peem sitting and sipping at their drinks while Phum and Tan argue and compete like children, and when they go too far, Fang and Peem let out this long suffering sigh while they try to pull apart their husbands.

Did I say husbands? Oops-

HEHEHE

I didn't see you denying anything, Fang~

got another fic idea but we don't talk about those

🥺🥺🫶🏼

Okay, about that dinner scene. I actually kinda liked it. The awkwardness of it, the halted conversation, the prompted actions. As with the rest of the series, they kept it real, and I'm glad for it.

A lot of BLs, especially Thai BLs forgive the parents too soon too fast, and I really like they did not do that here.

Phum just (sorta) started on this path of being on talking terms with his dad (not forgiveness, or forgetting what he's done, mind you) and I'm going to be carefully neutral about it. If Phum likes it, well and good. If the father does something Phum doesn't like well *looks at two of my wips specifically* I always keep back-ups.

Peem is never letting that go hehe

(I don't think Phum minds all that much now, because he did end up with Peem, fuck you Kluen)

Also I'm two eps behind on Wandee Goodday and I hear Title finally got a nice boyfriend role? Good for him!

FOREHEAD KISS MY BELOVED.

(...should I change my header again? Nah, I'm happy with what it is rn)

I love how even if it was never explicitly shown beyond Tan, literally everyone and their pets know about Chain and Pun except Chain and Pun 😭😭👍🏼

We Are probably has the most kisses out of all the BLs I've watched and somehow the very last kiss gets the Best Kiss award. Surprising, but well-deserved. The kissed like they were dying and Chain tried to climb Pun like a tree, and I was gleefully watching and cheering them on.

You're covering his eyes, when you've literally made out with him naked, that's some hypocrisy there, Q *raises eyebrows*

One word: roses.

(Did Peem ever tell him? Did Phum figure it out? Does Phum give him roses for every single occasion now? Hm... guess we'll never know... Fic writers, this is your cue-)

'HAPPY' has it's special place 🥺🥺

I now know for sure that the simplicity and boldness of this painting was absolutely on purpose. The other paintings in the gallery are stunning.

Friends. <33

Also, due to Tumblr's restrictions, I couldn't add the last pic, but Peem's/Phuwin's face looks hilarious in the very last shot 😭😂

That's all! See you ne- oh, right. Well, see you the next time I get brainrot so bad about a BL I have to write smut about it hehe.

If you got this far, thank you so much for reading! 😊

Here, have 🍛 (imagine it's your favourite dish)

All my We Are posts.

[colleybri]

One of the greatest hugs in any film

Interview question: “Do you think Cassian and Jyn would have managed to connect even more due to their shared life experiences if they had even more time?”

Diego Luna: “Obviously! What a good question. I think that hug represents everything that could have been but was not and everything that was too, because that hug meant they were part of something together and I believe that union lasts forever”.

One of the single best story decisions that was made in Rogue One was this incredible hug between Jyn Erso and Cassian Andor, as they await death from the blast of the Death Star.

It’s sad enough just in the context of the film. After Season 1 of Andor, it’s even more moving. I think some of us will be emotional wrecks after Season 2. 

One thing I’m starting to realise only now is how Jyn’s story, as revealed in the film (and the novelisation), reflects Cassian’s so much. She was also a child of war, displaced and effectively orphaned, adopted before being forced to embark on a new life. She had it even worse than him, in many ways. But just like him she had an early zeal to fight, which she similarly went on to lose because of the bitter pain that commitment caused. She becomes disillusioned and cynical about the Rebellion. It takes a combination of hard knocks and a resulting realisation of the desperate NEED to fight the Empire - in order to preserve all that they hold dear - to radicalise both of them to the extent that they are willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause.

Cassian is already in that place - he reached it five years before. But in Season 2 I expect we will see further challenges, see the desperately awful things he might have to do and what else he will need to sacrifice ahead of his actual life. Sacrifices that weasr down his soul, bit by bit. Luthen’s monologue hangs over everything. “ I burn my life for a sunrise I know I’ll never see.” It’s a bitter irony that Cassian is frequently placed in sun-rising imagery, culminating in the ‘sun’ of the explosion.

Jyn, in Rogue One, seems to be the spiritual shot in the arm that Cassian needs. In the same way that being inspired by his love for Clem, Maarva and Bix helps to spur him on in the Season 1 finale (when the chances of successfully rescuing Bix must seem non-existent)  Jyn seems to me to be the crucial reminder for Cassian of why he is doing all this in the first place. Her love for her father stops him from obeying the order to kill him. He just can’t do it. He can’t put someone he is growing to care about through the same agony he went through himself.

In the end, neither can live with themselves if they don’t fight. But both of them are fighting for the right reason: love.

The hug is platonic and therefore perfect because it’s universal, in a way: we can imagine - in their final seconds - that they can both see and feel the warmth and the arms of every single person in their lives who they ever loved in any form: parents, siblings, lovers, friends. And of course they also die feeling the arms of each other - bound together by their fight and sacrifice but also an embrace with someone they might have gone on to know, and to love, if the universe had been a kinder place. 

It’s one of the most perfect and beautiful death scenes in any film I’ve seen. 

But it’s also heart-crushingly sad. 

‘What could have been’. 

…..

Edit:

I think the earlier elevator scene is where they acknowledge the loss of what they could have had together. Cassian stares at Jyn with unblinking focus but he looks like he’s dying already from his injuries, and Jyn - not yet knowing for sure that she’s about to die too - looks completely devastated. By the time they reach the beach and see the blast approaching both of them look accepting of their fate… and I imagine that they can use their final moments to internally say their spiritual goodbyes to everyone they ever loved in their lives - and to each other. They are content to die together. They are at peace as they “become one with the Force”.

….

The sand is coarse on his fingers as he tightens the embrace and closes his eyes. Her face had been that of the last being he will see, and he is at peace with that. After all, she had already started to mend his broken soul and remind him of why he was doing all this in the first place. 

Love.

She is warm against him, her grip intensifying his physical pain, and intensifying whatever is going on now in his soul. They hug as if in the hope of keeping each other whole, the hope of somehow stopping the inevitable coming-apart. Almost as if to stop time and be forever in this state of in-between.

But there is no time at all. 

So he thinks he will imagine that the light is coming from her, her bright spirit - her hot molten core - soldering and melting them into one being. 

‘I don’t know where you end or where it is that I begin.’

Extract above from  ‘Dawn Chorus’ chapter 5:

Diego Luna interview:

’ I don’t know where you end or where it is that I begin’ - from the song ‘Vision’ by Peter Hammill.

[bookwormwithadhd]

so my nlmg review / meta / rant / idk what this is im just gonna put my jumbled thoughts in here

i started never let me go because... pondphuwin, plus the plot seemed interesting, and let's say they both didn't let me down, the first more than the latter. but i do have a bunch of criticism for it and things i wish they had done differently.

I'll start from my favourite things about Never Let Me Go:

First of all, the freaking OST. so far NLMG has the best OST in any thai bl I've watched. It was so contextual, beautiful, weaving in and out of focus when it needed to, had a big role in setting the mood of so many scenes, in creating tension and resolving it. The songs chosen in many of the romantic scenes were super fitting and all had a similar vibe somehow. The OST helped hold this entire show together so well. I really need to save a bunch of the songs from the OST to my playlists.

Second thing, the cinimatography of the show. From start to finish, NLMG consisted of so many aesthetically pleasing shots. All the visuals were amazing, and served the plot and themes of the show so much. The colour grading of the show gave it a very nostalgic feel. The scenes that showed confidence were so powerful, the scenes with the sweet moments were so soft, the scenes that showed desire were so strong and heartfelt. Honestly the director of the show did such a good job. Also thematically a lot of shots showed the class difference and social hierarchy, as pointed put by @biochemjess in this post, by using levels and the characters positions in the scenes. Or the lighting discussed by @respectthepetty in this post. There are a lot more thematic things that were shown through the cinimatography but im too lazy to analyze them all. All in all, I loved how each and every scene was so put together from visuals to music to acting. Good job jojo.

Third, PondPhuwin's INSANE chemistry, and their amazing acting in general.

I'll start with Phuwin. He did so well portraying Nuengdiao's character. It was so satisfying and awesome to see it from the subtle body language to the big emotions. Phuwin is so good with big emotional scene's ™ it literally gives me goosebumps. He was able to show the softness yet the rage in Nuengdiao, all the pain but all the happiness, all the immaturity and maturity displayed by him throughout the series. The freaking confidence after coming back from the island, and the uncle kit confrontation scene were so powerful, so well acted and vital to Nueng's character arc, and Phuwin did them flawlessly. Some of my favourite scenes that showcase Phuwin's brilliant acting are the rooftop fight/breakdown scene (it was actuallyone of the first scenes i saw a clip of before i watched nlmg and i was like nah i gotta watch it), the fight/break up on the beach scene, the putting-palm-to-sleep-and-running-away scene (might be my favourite scene ever even though it's so sad), the comeback feom the island and taking his rightful place as a heir sequence, the palm getting shot sequence. Like, oh my god, again, goosebumps. Have I mentioned how good Phuwin is in big emotional scenes???

And Pond... that guy, he's probably one of my favourite thai actors ever. Pond has a certain feel, a certain texture and genuineness in his acting that I can't put my hands on, but oh god, do i feel with every role he plays. His acting has a flavour that I really love. He does geniune, sincere, devoted, softly strong like no other. I saw his acting in We Are first, and honestly it was so surprising to me at the beginning how different Palm's personality is from Phum's (they do have their similarities, but in the beginning of nlmg, Palm was so diff). This showed me how much range Pond has. The hesitance, the politeness, the strength yet softness, the sweet confidence, the micro expressions and the not so micro expressions, they were able to paint Palm's personality so well from ep1 directly. His devotion to his work and to Nuengdiao were so prevalent in every look on his face. His conflict of wanting becoming closer to Nueng but also wanting to (more like having to) do what his father wants him to do, was so well acted. And all the confidence Palm gained at the island arc, when they were in the safety of the island, free like the sea, away from expectation, it was so beautiful to watch Pond act that. Some scenes that highlight what im talking about are the scene in the hospital when Palm confronts his dad about not caring about him (then we see Tanya hugging Nueng just after Palm got slapped by his dad and like kahskajmaj), the scene were he sees Nueng kiss Ben, the shooting class scene ("love is much more powerful than hatred" YEAH TAKE IT FROM THE GUY WHO IS FULL OF DEVOTION AND DESIRE), the scene when Nueng humiliated him at the party (i hate the scene but Palm's face, Palm's reaction, Palm's heart breaking... its powerful), Palm coming back to confront Nueng after the first breakup. The list goes on.

Now PondPhuwin together? it's fucking ART okay? it's so beautiful in all its shapes and forms. All the longing looks, every stare, every piece of dialogue shared, every touch, the tension was there, very strongly. It was so there you could feel it through the screen. Then all the romantic scenes, all the sweet ones, they served. The fight scenes were so good. The soft scenes were so good. The angsty scenes were spot on. The comforting scenes, the hugs, the pain, the tattoo kiss (i will never be over that), the way their relationship goes through so many different stages and so many different dynamics and they did each one of them so fucking well. I honestly will stop talking about this because i could write a 100k essay just about how much i love to see them together on the screen. You guys get me, right????

Anyway, another thing this show did right was FEMALE CHARACTERS. I can't stress this enough, but I'm so tired of shows that give the most 2D, weakly written, unlovable female characters only. And here we got three well flesh out, well written important female characters. Starting with Mrs Tanya, Nueng's mother.

If you saw my post after watching ep 1, you saw how much Tanya caught my eye and attention. And that didn't stop as the show went on. She is strong, loving, caring, but flawed, and oh do i love that. I live that she isnt perfect. I love that we see how much she tries to do her best after her husband's death, how confident she is managing the business and stating her terms and boundaries, and how much she tries to protect and care for Nueng. Was her way of doing that right all the time? not really. but that makes her realistic and makes sense for her character. She unconsciously puts pressure on Nueng for being the only hope for the Kiattrakulmethee family, just like his dad did, and unknowns makes Nueng's relationship with Palm more strained with the promise she made Palm make. But over all, we see a genuine caring mother, that fixed her mistakes by the end and tried her hardest to be successful. (Also she is gorgeous??? i can't not mention that. plus her stylist slayed)

Up next is Maggie!! she was such a pleasant and very very needed character. She helped in Palm's development by being a very good friend. Im so grateful they didn't make her flirty with him all the time and the usual not being able to read the room and trying to get in between the mcs. Nope, we got a genuine friend, who had an initial crush on Palm (i mean look at him, who wouldn't??) but then realised the story, recognised so many of Palm's internal problems and gave him much needed advice and support. They were so cute to see together, and i loved the scenes were she was talking to Palm about what she wants to do with her life, and asking him about what he wants to do with his. I think there was something beautiful there because we saw so much of Palm interacting with people from higher class, poeple who dont understand an integral part of his character, and then we see him talking to maggie, who is also working class, who is also trying to navigate her life and live it to it's fullest job after job. Idk why i liked that this much. I love Maggie, she deserves the best.

And finally, the character i thought i was gonna hate but i loved immensely, Palm's mom, mama Mam. We meet her, as a mother who doesn't know her son, a selfish mother that left and loves her family on her own terms. But them once her son comes back to her life, she steps up to take her role as a mother, and boy does she do good. What we saw of her in the few episodes she was in, was so important. She embraced her son's presence fully and read him so well, gave him advice and supoort he very much needed, gave him a safe place and so much love (for him and his boyfriend), and then as a final tribute, sacrificed her life for theirs.

Her character portrayed the complexity of motherhood, of love, of life. The thing she told palm about life not being all about love explained a lot about her character, and is kinda true. So yeah i love how well written she was.

Now, for side character appreciation we get CHOPPER! You dont get how much love I have for him. He is a green flag, no, a green forest and literally such an perfect character. Perth's acting>>>>>>>>>>> The fact that Chopper faced all that conflict alone, had to choose between jailing his own father and becoming complicit in his crimes, it's heartbreaking. Even Ben wasn't by his side at that point. He was so alone, yet he did the right thing. Love a character with strong values. I love that he didn't have any negative feeling towards Nueng, despite all their parents' conflicts. And him confornging his father? badass, even if he faiked to stop him. Him shooting his father? BADASS.

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Deborah Kerr (Bonjour Tristesse, An Affair to Remember, The King and I)— For several decades she held the record for most Oscar nominations without a win (6 in total), and she was a prolific leading lady throughout the 40s and 50s. She's best known today for the romance An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant, and as the governess in The King and I. Many people have this erroneous perception of her as extremely prim, proper, and virginal, but this could not be further from the truth. When she first came to Hollywood under MGM she was typecast into boring decorative roles, but broke sexual boundaries for herself and Hollywood generally in From Here to Eternity, when she made out (horizontally!) with Burt Lancaster (on top of him!) in the famous Beach Scene. She went on to play many sexually conflicted women, a character type that would define most of her post- Eternity work. She continued to break Hays Code boundaries with Tea and Sympathy, which addresses homosexuality/homophobia head-on, and even did a topless scene in The Gypsy Moths 1969!! One of the only classic stars to do so. She deserves a more nuanced and frankly a hotter legacy than she currently has!!!

Hend Rostom (Cairo Station, Eshaat Hob)— Egyptian movie star called the "Marilyn Monroe of the East", need anyone say more

This is round 2 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Hend Rostrom:

Deborah Kerr:

I think she was one of my first crushes before I realised I was bi in The King and I when I watched it as a kid honestly. The kissing scene in From Here to Eternity is iconic for a reason. Actually tried to learn the accents for the characters she was playing if they weren't English which is more than pretty much anyone else was doing then. Played very restrained characters who frequently seemed to be desperate not to be so restrained. Did horror movies without venturing into hagsploitation tropes. Gave Marni Nixon the credit she deserved for her share of the singing in The King and I.

Anne Larsen is a peak late 1950s bisexual with big MILF energy. Have you seen the behind the scenes pics of her wearing a suit?? Have you????? Vote Deb as Anne Larsen.

Nominated for an Oscar six (6) times and never won, but besides her having actual talent (hot), and besides her looking Like That (very hot, also beautiful), she was always playing women who are, like, crazy repressed. Which makes it fun and easy for me to read these characters as queer. Icon!!!! You know what's hot? Playing ambiguously gay in vintage Hollywood.

Her face and talent and body, yes, ofc, duh. But also!!! Her HANDS!!!! I may be but a simple lesbian, but she is the best hactor (hand actor) that ever lived and that's HOT! For propriety's sake I feel I must redact a large portion of my commentary on this subject. Anyway. She's hot in her most famous roles (mentioned above), and also some of her sexiest hacting is on display in An Affair to Remember (her hand on the bannister when Cary Grant kisses her off-screen??? HELLO???), Tea and Sympathy (when she's trying to persuade Tom not to go out and she keeps flexing her hands like she wants to reach out to him but can't??? ALLY BEHAVIOR! WE STAN!), and The Innocents (which opens and closes with extended shots of her hands bc director Jack Clayton was also an ally and he did that for ME). Much of her appeal also lies in the fact that she often played deeply repressed characters and you know what's hot? When those uptight characters finally unravel. It's sexy. It's cathartic. It's erotic. Plus, she's beautiful to look at in both black & white and technicolor, and the more of her films you see, the more you can't help but fall in love!

Literally is in thee most famously sexy scene of all time (or maybe just during the hays code era which is what we're talking about HELLO), which is the beach scene with Burt Lancaster in from here to eternity. To quote a tumblr post of a screen capture of a tweet of a video of joy behar on the view: "y'know, there used to be movies where they were kissing on the beach... From Here to Eternity. They're kissing-- Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr are Kissing on the Beach and then the WAVES crash!! You know exactly what they did!"

She might have a reputation of being chaste and virginal or whatever, but we all know it's the quiet ones who are certifiable FREAKS

[mzannthropy]

Edmond and Haydee in The Count of Monte Cristo limited series (Sam Claflin)

This is for Edmond x Haydee shippers and includes spoilers for the series.

So I know it looks like the series does not support this ship, Haydee making her last appearance in the penultimate episode and the final scene being Edmond and Mercedes on the beach. However, I have a different take. I maintain that the ending is ambiguous enough to allow one's own interpretation. I think the showrunners left is open-ended and up to the viewers to decide.

That last shot of Edmond and Mercedes only showed the two of them standing next to each other. They did not kiss and nothing in their dialogue indicated they will get together. The last line, from Mercedes was: "love can heal". She did say "love" but she didn't say whose love. It can be taken in any way. There is more than one kind of love, there is romantic love, but also love between friends, familial love (found-family in Edmond's case, as he doesn't have anyone), love for your pets, and most important of all, love for your own self. Edmond, a seaman at heart, also loves the sea. Another thing is, her tone did not come across as romantic, IMO. She said it more like a good friend, or a wise older person--it's something abbe Faria would say. It's came off more as a proverb, you know, how, for example, you would say to your friend or a family member who has been through a lot: time heals all wounds. If the show wanted to present an Edcedes endgame, they would have made it more conclusive. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks that Edmond needs some healing first of all, he should sail away to some retreat and then come back when he's ready for relationship. And Mercedes too is only recently widowed (doesn't matter that she didn't love Fernand, she had a 20 (?) year marriage with him) and her whole world has been turned upside down. She might be done with men, for all we know. Not to mention that neither of them is the youthful idealistic person they were when they got engaged.

Now, about Haydee. We all know that they were never going to adapt her storyline straight from the book. I personally liked it (I don't mind content that is considered problematic or controversial, I just like good stories), but they would not get away with it in the year of our lord 2025. I didn't expect the Edmond x Haydee endgame in any case, so was not disappointed, though I hoped to see their relationship at least be familial or platonic. Karla-Simone Spence is 10 years younger than Sam Claflin, which is not that big an age gap (his previous onscreen wife, Camila Morrone, was 11 years younger). Sure it would have been good if she had got more screentime, but I'm also a quality over quantity person; I don't mind less time as long as it's good. I've not rewatched the show yet (though I saw ep5 twice) but I specifically kept an eye on her and the count's interactions. It also made me chuckle bc I thought to myself, that is some very careful writing. So, as you know, Haydee arrives at the count's house and is shown into her rooms, but she refuses to stay there and sits down on the stairs. (Someone is spreading fake news that she cries--if you've watched it, you know she doesn't.) She demands to know what the count intends to do with her and calls him "master". To which he says "we don't do that here, you are free" and then they sit down together and have a talk. All throughout, the count is very gentle with her. In fact you can say it's unlike him. He's not like that with anyone else, (except when he gets emotional with Mercedes, but that's a different thing). They may have done it that way bc they had to be very careful with their writing, but that's irrelevant, bc the end result is that the show is actually favourable to the ship. He also buys her dresses and takes her to the party at the de Morcerfs, as his plus one. Mercedes even remarks that "people will talk". I can't think of what the purpose the line served other than a wink at the shippers. (Or even if there is another purpose, it still works as a wink at the shippers.)

When Haydee leaves after giving her testimony at the parliament, as she gets to the coach, she gives Edmond a half-hug. That's more than anyone else got. She didn't need to do that at all. It might have been yet another wink at the shippers, but I'll take it. She responds to Edmond's "we got him" with "but at what cost?" The show constantly hammered it into viewers' heads what his revenge will do to him, but it can also be looked as Haydee caring about his well-being. It's the last we see of her. However. I always argue that as long as, at the end, both characters are alive, on good terms with each other, and can easily reach each other, the ship doesn't contradict the canon. I say this for Jon Snow and Sansa on Game of Thrones as well. You can't say it's canon, but. You can't say it's non canon either. Sometimes you just have to apply your imagination. (Ask Anne of Green Gables, lol.)

It would have been better to see Edmond actually sailing away (the Pierre Niney film scores higher on this), but whatever, I'm not gonna spend time sweating over it, I decided to be positive bc I had enough shit with Sam's last limited series book adaptation, and I'm not going through that again. Maybe the showrunners just liked that beach shot, it makes a nice picture, that is true enough. But who's to say that Edmond won't meet Haydee again on his travels? What if she already fell for him, but knows he needs to find inner peace before he can love again? What if Jacopo or Isabelle noticed something there and will now play matchmakers? I'd say this gives plenty of fanfic material.

This got longer than I intended, so thank you for reading if you made it this far.

[lovableapocalypse]

dial drunk

bradley "rooster" bradshaw x fem!wife!reader

wc- 1.5k

warnings- cursing, established relationship, police station?

a/n- wife reader fyi!! i hope you guys enjoy. i saw noah kahan at acl over the weekend and was inspired to finally finish this wip. lol. also this scene from greys. love u all. lmk anything you want to see!!!

The room was crowded and humid. The open doors that led to the beach were blowing in a smooth breeze, but it was doing little to soothe your anxiety. 

Bradley was late. He tended to be on time, at most 10 minutes behind, and even then he’d always message you to let you know. So this was starting to concern you. Everyone was supposed to meet at the Hard Deck at 7 tonight, yet here you were still watching the door, 45 minutes later. 

Penny had tried to assure you he could be in traffic, given it was a Friday night, but you heavily doubted it. You were burning holes into the doorway and silently begging for his tanned self to just walk through. 

You glanced at your phone for what felt like the 100th time and shot Bradley yet another message. 

7:10 PM

You okay?

7:30 PM

Hello??

7:47 PM 

Are you asleep? Where r u

You were trying not to call attention to his absence, but your frequent calls and angry typing weren’t fooling anybody. You were getting irritated. You inhaled sharply as you now scanned the back doors. This was supposed to be a Dagger Squad (and family) night, and it bothered you that Bradley wasn’t here. 

You feel your phone vibrate in your fist, and the local unknown number showcased on your screen confuses you. You quickly move around bodies and step out into the cooling night on the back patio, answering the phone. 

“Hello?”

“Hi baby.”

It’s his voice. You know it is, but you still ask, “Bradley?”

You hear him clear his throat on the other end of the line, “Yeah, it’s me.”

“Where are you? It's almost 8 already. Everyone’s asking where you are- me included.”

“Yeah, about that,” You can hear the disappointment in his voice and can practically see him running his hands over his face, “I need you to come get me.”

“What?”

“Please.”

“Where are you?”

You hear muffled noise in the background of the call and your brows furrow further as you try to decipher where he is. 

He sighs and mumbles, “I need you to come bail me out.”

Your head shoots up from where you were studying your feet on the deck, and your voice raises as you respond, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Bradley’s response isn’t immediate, he could tell you were pissed and confused and he knew his answer would only anger you more. “Look, I’ll explain, I promise- just please come.”

You pull the phone away from your face, dumbfounded that your husband was asking you to come bail him out. 

You hear him mutter another “Please” before you hang up the phone and storm back into the Hard Deck. 

Your quick angry pace gathered attention from others and as you harshly grab your purse off the bar top, Hangman approaches you. 

“You alright?” He questions. 

“I have to go bail Bradley out of fucking jail.”

Jake’s jaw parts before he shakes off his initial reaction and places a calming hand over your shaking ones. 

“Fuck- okay, I’m coming with you.”

“No- Jake it’s fine. Just stay here and make sure everyone’s good.”

“Let me drive you. You probably need time to cool off anyway.” He gave you a look that said he knew he was right and you just huffed and headed out the doors. 

Jake quickly followed and unlocked his truck in an effort to help. Selfishly, he wanted to see Rooster behind bars for himself, but he also acknowledged you might need someone’s help right now too. 

He hastily pulled out of the bar and headed down the main roads. He kept glancing at you and your expression was one of utter disbelief. You were repeatedly shaking your head and trying to think of any plausible explanation for why your husband was arrested. 

Jake swung into the police station and parked. You took some of your anger out on the passenger door, slamming it open and closed. You felt your anger multiply as you marched toward the station. 

You had dressed up for this evening. You wore your favorite summer dress and had even taken the time to style your hair. Now that would be wasted on police officers and other arrestees. 

Jake was quick behind you, not wanting to miss a single moment of this. You pulled the front door open and your irritation was clear as day. The receptionist asked you how she could help, and your response was anything but pleased, “My husband asked me to come bail him out.”

She gave you a sympathetic look. “Name?”

“Bradshaw. Bradley Bradshaw.” You shot out. Jake huffed a laugh from behind you, and you whacked his arm in annoyance. 

“Right,” the receptionist typed on her computer. “He’s here.” 

She asked for your ID and had Jake stay in the front lobby while you followed her back to the holding cell. You could see him. He was sitting on the bench in the cell with his head in his hands. He seemed to be rubbing his eyes in frustration with the heel of his hands. 

“Bradshaw.” You spit as you approach the bars. His head shoots up and he stands fast, moving towards you. 

“Hey honey.” He says as he grabs onto the bars of the cell. The two other guys in there with him laugh and observe you.

“What the hell?” You ask. Bradley leans towards you through the bars and shakes out an embarrassed laugh. You raise your brows in question and he knows he can’t avoid an explanation any longer. 

He glances at the receptionist behind you and at the idle cops at their desks, and exhales quietly, “I was speeding.”

“You got thrown in jail for speeding?” Your tone is incredulous. 

He bows his head and leans more of his weight onto the bars. When he finally glances back up at your expectant expression he admits, “I was being a dick to the cop. He didn’t like my sarcasm I guess. Or he just had no sense of humor.” His eyes move to who you guess is the cop that arrested him and he shakes his head again.

You sigh. Bradley reaches through the bars and clasps your hand in his. He can feel your irritation radiating off of you, but also the ridiculousness of it all. He pulls you closer and you let him. He gives you a smirk you know all too well, and he places a soft kiss on your lips through the metal. 

You shake your head and turn around to the receptionist, “What do I need to sign to get him out?”

You hear Bradley’s airy laugh behind you and the woman leads you to a desk to fill out the correct forms. The cop was nice enough to not formally charge Bradley with anything, just wanted to teach his smart mouth a lesson. 

Once you’ve signed the appropriate forms and taken an opportunity to chat to your lovely local officers, mostly to watch Bradley squirm impatiently, a cop takes the keys and walks to the cell. Bradley steps back and watches him unlock the giant door. 

A now free man, Bradley approaches you steadily. As much as you’re annoyed and want to give him grief for his earlier absence, you’re glad he’s safe and okay. He reaches for you and you meet him in an embrace. He places a soft kiss to the side of your head and you sigh into him. 

“Please don’t ever call me from a police station again.”

He squeezes you tighter and nods but then says, “I make no promises.” His laughter is muffled as you shake your head and audibly groan in annoyance. You lightly smack his abdomen and start walking back out. 

Bradley follows behind you and when you reenter the lobby Jake is still patiently waiting, now sitting in one of the available chairs. 

Bradley stops short when he notices his colleague and friend. “You brought Hangman?” He sounds offended. 

Jake’s smile is contagious as he peers up from the magazine he was browsing. “She sure did. Wouldn’t miss this for the world Rooster.” 

You can’t help but laugh at your husband's look of betrayal. You shrug, “I’m sorry Roo, he offered to drive.”

Bradley shakes his head and fully enters the room. You hear him mutter a “Jesus Christ,” under his breath as he rubs his hands over his face. 

Jake stands and is still grinning like an idiot. He starts to head for the door when you ask, “Wait. B, where’s your car?” 

He looks like he was hoping you wouldn’t ask that question. “On the side of interstate 8 probably.” 

You’ve got to be kidding me. Bradley can see the further disappointment on your features and leans in to peck your lips. “I’m sorry.” He whispers. 

“I’ll drop you.” Jake sighs. 

You say nothing and just shake your head, grabbing Bradley’s hand and leading him out of the station. 

[unabashegirl]

Lycan 12 — werewolf

Y/N returns to her hometown, Alsfield, when her father falls ill, only to discover the town hides a dark secret—one protected by the mysterious Harry Styles. As Y/N unravels the town's mysteries, her plans to return to San Francisco are derailed.

check out my patreon (starting at $2) and get full access to all chapters, various one shots like The Cover and much more :)

masterlist

wordcount: 2.8

Niall's knuckles rapped on the wooden double doors of the Alpha's office, and a moment of tense silence followed. Y/N watched, her curiosity mixed with apprehension, as Niall slowly pushed the doors open without waiting for a verbal response.

The office was grand and spacious, with a massive wooden desk positioned near a giant window that offered a commanding view of the surrounding territory. The Alpha, the enigmatic leader of the Shadow Pack, stood with his back to the newcomers, gazing out at the landscape.

Y/N felt her heart race as she took in the scene. She had been waiting to meet the Alpha, but what she hadn't expected was the identity of the man before her. It was Harry, the mayor of the nearby town, the same man she had met on that foggy beach.

Her confusion deepened, and she instinctively moved closer to Niall, seeking comfort in his presence. She wondered how the mayor of the town was connected to the mysterious world of the pack, and what secrets he held.

Niall cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Alpha," he began respectfully, "I've brought Y/N, as you requested."

Harry, the Alpha, slowly turned around, his gaze settling on Y/N. There was an intensity in his eyes, a depth of emotion that left her both intrigued and uneasy.

Y/N's surprise upon discovering that Harry, the mayor of the nearby town and the man she had grown fond of, was the Alpha of the Shadow Pack was beyond words. It felt like a revelation that turned her world upside down.

Her feelings were a whirlwind of emotions. On one hand, there was a sense of betrayal that Harry hadn't shared this monumental secret with her. On the other, there was a strange mix of awe and attraction to the powerful figure before her. She had admired him as the mayor, but now she saw a different, more complex side to him.

She couldn't help but feel conflicted, torn between her desire to understand this new reality and the sense of longing that had grown between her and the Alpha. The fact that Harry had used Niall to bring her here without revealing his true identity left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Harry, the Alpha, studied her with a penetrating gaze, seemingly aware of the turmoil within her. His voice, when he finally spoke, was soft and measured. "Y/N, I know this is a lot to take in, and I apologize for not revealing the truth sooner. There are reasons for the secrecy, reasons that I hope you will come to understand in time."

Y/N remained silent, her mind racing with questions and emotions. She couldn't deny the pull she felt toward Harry, but she also couldn't ignore the fact that her life had taken an unexpected turn, plunging her into a world she had never imagined existed.

As Niall turned to leave the Alpha's office, believing his task was completed by safely bringing Y/N into the pack territory, Harry's commanding voice stopped him in his tracks. The sheer power behind Harry's command made the very walls of the office seem to tremble.

"Get back here now."

Niall swallowed hard, realizing that he wasn't off the hook just yet. He had brought Y/N into the territory, but she wasn't unharmed. The fact that she had needed medical attention hadn't gone unnoticed by Harry. It was clear that the Alpha had sensed her condition.

Reluctantly, Niall turned back and walked toward Harry, his expression a mix of guilt and resignation. He knew that a confrontation was imminent, and he couldn't escape the consequences of his actions.

Harry's eyes bore into Niall's, and the air in the room grew tense as they prepared for what came next. Y/N's presence had set in motion a series of events that neither of them had anticipated, and the pack's Alpha was determined to get to the bottom of it.

Harry's piercing gaze remained fixed on Niall as he demanded an explanation for what had happened to Y/N. Niall, feeling the weight of the situation, cleared his throat before giving his account of the events.

"She fainted," Niall admitted, his voice steady but tinged with unease. "It happened right after I transformed into my wolf."

Harry's expression remained inscrutable as he absorbed this information. He was clearly concerned about Y/N's well-being and the impact of Niall's actions on her. "Is she all right now?" Harry asked, his voice softer, showing a hint of genuine worry.

Niall nodded. "Yes, Alpha. Michaela examined her and prescribed some medication. She should be recovering."

Harry let out a sigh, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "I'm glad to hear that she's getting the care she needs." Then, his gaze hardened as he turned his attention back to Niall. "But I trusted you to keep her safe, Niall. I trusted you with her well-being."

Niall bowed his head in acknowledgment, fully aware of the gravity of his failure. He had let his Alpha down, and there would undoubtedly be consequences for his actions.

Y/N, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Harry and Niall, finally spoke up. Her voice carried a hint of frustration as she addressed them both.

"Hey," she said, her tone firm, "you guys are acting as if I’m painted on the wall. I am right here”

Both Harry and Niall turned their attention to Y/N, realizing that they had been preoccupied with their own concerns. Harry's expression softened as he regarded her, while Niall looked relieved that she had spoken up.

"You're right, Y/N," Harry conceded, his voice gentler now. "This concerns you, and you deserve to have your questions answered. Please, have a seat. Niall you are dismissed. We’ll talk later”

With a nod from Harry, Niall quietly left the Alpha's office, leaving Y/N alone with the enigmatic leader of the Shadow Pack. As the door closed behind Niall, Y/N felt a mixture of relief and apprehension. She was finally getting the chance to have her questions answered, but the mystery surrounding Harry's dual identity still hung heavily in the air.

Harry walked around his desk and leaned against it, his gaze never leaving Y/N. He understood the weight of the secrets that had been kept from her and recognized that it was time for some clarity.

"Y/N," he began, his voice calm, "where would you like to start? I know you must have many questions, and I'm here to provide you with as much information as I can."

Y/N took a deep breath, her mind racing with inquiries. She had so much she wanted to ask, but she decided to start with the basics. "First, can you explain what all of this is? The pack, the hierarchy, the wolves... It's all so overwhelming."

Harry nodded, appreciating her desire to understand the fundamentals. "Of course," he replied. "Let's begin with the basics. The pack is essentially a family of sorts, but we're not like ordinary families. We're bound by more than blood; we're bound by a shared transformation, a shared existence as wolves."

He paused, giving her a moment to absorb this information before continuing. "Within the pack, there's a hierarchical structure. I'm the Alpha, the leader. Beneath me, there are Betas, like Niall, who assist in maintaining order and ensuring the pack's well-being. And then there are Omegas, who play vital roles too. Each member has their place and responsibilities within the pack."

Y/N listened intently, trying to wrap her head around the concept. "And the wolves?" she asked. "Are they... real wolves?"

Harry smiled, a hint of warmth in his eyes. "Yes, they are real wolves. We're a unique breed, descendants of an ancient line. We have the ability to transform between our human and wolf forms. It's part of our nature, our heritage."

Y/N nodded, beginning to piece together the puzzle. "But why the secrecy?" she asked. "Why not reveal this to the world?"

Harry's expression turned somber. "There are dangers, Y/N. Not everyone would understand or accept us. Our existence has been kept hidden to protect us from those who would seek to exploit or harm us. It's a complex world, and the truth can be a double-edged sword."

Y/N mulled over his words, realizing that this revelation was just the tip of the iceberg. There were still many more questions to be asked, but she felt a newfound sense of clarity and determination. She was ready to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Shadow Pack and the enigmatic Alpha who led it.

Y/N's curiosity burned brighter than ever as she delved further into the mysteries surrounding the Shadow Pack. She leaned forward in her chair, eager to learn more, and posed her next question to Harry.

"Can you tell me about the history of the pack, where it all began?" she asked.

Harry nodded, acknowledging her thirst for knowledge. He began to recount the story of the pack's origins.

"Our history is deeply intertwined with the untamed wilderness of this region," Harry began. "Generations ago, our ancestors lived in harmony with the wolves of the forest. They had a connection to the land and the creatures that inhabited it, unlike anything seen in the modern world."

Y/N listened intently as Harry continued, his voice carrying the weight of history. "As time passed, our ancestors discovered that they had a unique gift—a gift that allowed them to become one with the wolves. They could transform, harnessing the strength and instincts of the creatures they coexisted with."

The Alpha's eyes took on a distant look as he continued, "This gift came with responsibilities. Our ancestors formed the first pack, vowing to protect both the human and wolf sides of their nature. They forged a bond with the wolves, ensuring that our two species would live in harmony."

Y/N was captivated by the tale, her mind racing to grasp the enormity of the history Harry was sharing with her. "What happened next?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Harry's gaze locked with hers, his eyes reflecting the weight of centuries. "Over time, our kind faced threats from those who feared our abilities. We were hunted, persecuted, and driven to the brink of extinction. To survive, we went into hiding, living in secret packs, always wary of discovery."

He paused, letting the gravity of their history sink in. "The Shadow Pack, the largest and most powerful of our kind on the West Coast, traces its lineage back to those early days. We've held onto our traditions, our connection to the wilderness, and our duty to protect our kind."

Y/N was overwhelmed by the depth of the story she had just heard. It was a history that defied belief, and yet, here she was, sitting in the midst of it all. She realized that she had only scratched the surface and that the secrets of the Shadow Pack ran deeper than she could have ever imagined.

As Harry finished recounting their history, Y/N couldn't help but feel a growing connection to this hidden world. There was much more to discover, and she was determined to uncover every secret, no matter how enigmatic or perilous it might be.

Y/N leaned forward, her eyes focused on Harry, eager for answers to the questions that had filled her mind. "Harry," she began, "how did your pack manage to build this town in such a secluded place? It's all so... remarkable."

Harry nodded, recognizing the natural curiosity that had drawn Y/N into their world. "Building this town was a long and carefully orchestrated process," he explained. "We chose this remote location to remain hidden from those who might wish to expose us or exploit our abilities. Over time, our pack members, both human and wolf, used their unique skills and resources to construct what you see today."

Y/N marveled at the dedication and effort that must have gone into creating the hidden town. It was a testament to the pack's commitment to their way of life.

As she absorbed this information, she couldn't help but recall Michaela's words. "When Michaela hugged me earlier," Y/N said, "she mentioned that she was glad they found me. What did she mean by that?"

Harry's expression softened, and he regarded her with a knowing look. "Michaela was referring to the concept of mates," he said. "In our world, finding one's mate is a rare and cherished occurrence. It's a deep and profound connection that goes beyond mere romantic love. When mates find each other, it's a cause for celebration and joy within the pack."

Y/N's heart raced at the implication of Harry's words. "Mates? What do you mean by that?"

Harry took a moment to choose his words carefully. "Mates are two souls destined to be together," he explained. "When they meet, there's an undeniable connection, a bond that goes beyond words. It's a profound and irrevocable link, and it often brings a sense of completeness to those who experience it."

Y/N tried to process this revelation, her mind swirling with questions. "What does it have to do with me?

"Because, Y/N, you're my mate."

Silence hung in the room, broken only by the faint hum of distant voices from the packhouse below. Y/N felt as though time had come to a standstill. She couldn't process what she had just heard.

"You're my mate," Harry repeated, his voice filled with a mix of tenderness and anticipation.

Y/N's heart raced, and a thousand questions rushed to her mind. She stammered, "I... I don't understand. What does that mean?"

Harry stepped closer, his presence warm and reassuring. "It means that we share a unique bond, one that transcends time and space. Mates are connected on a profound level, emotionally and spiritually. We're meant to be together."

Y/N was still struggling to grasp the enormity of the revelation. "But why me? Why now?"

Harry sighed, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "The timing is... unusual. We usually discover our mates earlier in life, but sometimes fate has other plans. As for 'why you,' I believe it's because you have a role to play in our pack, a destiny that's intertwined with mine."

He gently cupped Y/N's face, his thumb brushing her cheek. "You're not just any mate, Y/N. You're the Luna—the leader of the pack, my partner in every sense. Together, we'll guide our pack and protect our kind."

Y/N felt overwhelmed by the weight of her newfound role and the connection she shared with Harry. It was a revelation that defied logic and reason, yet she couldn't deny the intense emotions welling up within her. A mixture of fear, curiosity, and a strange sense of destiny filled her.

She looked into Harry's eyes, searching for answers. "What now? What does this mean for us?"

taglist: @harryssky1, @jerseygirlinca, @daphnesutton, @rose-garden-dreamz

next ---> chapter 13